Why Am I Even Trying?
by AusllyFan
Summary: All Austin wants is for her to love him again. He tells her that he loves her everyday. But all she does is shut him out. If she decides to finally let him in, will he be done trying? How will she be able to trust anyone ever again after what has happened? Just when things seem fine, they just might not be.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, so this is the newest story that I'm working on. It's gonna be a long one, so be prepared! I think it's turning out fairly well, and I hope you like it! If there's something you wanna say about it, go ahead and say it! I want the constructive criticism and as many reviews as possible! I love hearing what you guys have to say about my stories whether its good or bad! Read and Review!**

AUSTIN'S POV

Nobody knows how hard it is to be in love with someone who doesn't even care about you. So in love in fact, that everything you ever do is for that person. In case you didn't know, I'm talking about Ally Dawson. We used to be best friends. Tell each other everything. But that all changed about three years ago.

Our whole story started when we were little. Our parents had been good friends since college. Me and Ally met each other when we were about four years old. We would do everything together. Our parents lived right across from each other on a dead end street. We had a secret fort that we worked together to build in the woods behind my house that we would sneak out to all the time. Although it wasn't really sneaking out, because both of our parents knew about it. And if they didn't see us, they knew we were in the fort.

Anyway, we would have so many adventures back there. It was our place to get away from reality. If one of us was having a bad day, we would meet up at the fort. We would sometimes pretend to be king and queen of the castle(fort) and tell everyone what to do. We got to make the rules. We got to create and live out our dreams and fantasies in that place.

Nobody except me and her ever knew about it. Other than our parents, but they knew how special it was to us, so they never once went down there to bother us. Trish and Dez, our closest friends, never even heard about it. They still don't, and we are Juniors in high school.

So many memories took place there. One of them being my first kiss. When we used to pretend to be king and queen, we would always kiss each other goodbye when it was time to go home. Although it didn't mean that much considering we were less than eight years old. Though it kind of became a habit after that. Even if we weren't pretending, it was a little peck on the lips to say goodbye. That habit stopped after about fourth grade though, when the 'cooties' rumor started going around. Everyday we would still regularly visit the fort, until middle school, then our visits to the old place gradually decreased.

School work, new friends, sports, they all became new priorities. We were still close friends at the time, but society, and social class were slowly drawing us away from each other. We hardly ever noticed. I became one of the more popular people, where as Ally worked her way to the 'nerd' category as most would call it. Though I would never think of her like that.

By the eighth grade we were no longer meeting at the fort. It was just a piece of the past, left to be forgotten. When we would see each other in the hall, I might offer a small smile or wave and she would return it, but nothing more. Even those small gestures disappeared over time. One particular time when we were in the cafeteria, I was sitting with a bunch of people that I can hardly call friends. Everyone was talking and laughing, mostly about other people that weren't in the same social class, and at first I was listening to them occasionally throwing in a 'yeah', 'uh huh' or a chuckle to make them think I was interested. But honestly I couldn't care less about they were talking about. Because I was looking past the people at my table to see a small and shy brunette girl sitting by herself at a nearby table.

Immediately I tuned out of their conversation, and became completely focused on the girl I once called my best friend. I was so tempted to get up and walk over to sit with her, but knowing my position as the 'king of the eighth grade', most people would probably think less of me for that. For some reason, I cared too much about that position at that time to do anything to risk it. So I stayed put.

I wondered if she even remembered who I was, considering we hadn't had a real conversation in close to two years. Truth was, she was on my mind all the time. I felt so bad that she wasn't ever noticed by anyone. But I noticed her. We used to pretend that we were both popular, an everyone loved us. That's when the whole 'king and queen of the castle' thing came to be. But now, here I am, the so called 'King' without my queen next to me.

So that's how middle school carried on. But everything took a sharp turn for the worst when we approached high school. Even still, Ally and I hadn't talked. We still lived right across the street from each other, and yet I still had no nerve to walk over and say anything.

High school was torture. Ally stopped being outgoing, even with her 'nerd' friends. She stopped showing up to class on time, stopped doing class work or any work in general. Her once bright and floral clothes were replaced by old jeans and sweatshirts. I never knew what exactly was going on with her, but I knew something was wrong. And that was the torture for me.

I decided that since I was still Mr. Cool to the rest of the school population, I would just ask around to find out what was going on with her. I had to make it subtle though or people would think that I cared about her. Which I did care for her, but people would make fun of me if they knew. High school was so complicated. As I asked I found out that she was being bullied by a group of people that I knew closely. I went to talk to them. I tried to keep myself together though.

"So guys, uh, what have you been doing to this uh, Dawson girl lately?" I asked lazily in lunch.

Dallas, the tall brown-haired guy answered. "Too much stuff to keep track of bro" he laughed with his other friends. "But today we just filled up this whoopee cushion with egg salad and put it on her seat, Look guys! She's about to sit on it!" He whisper-yelled while holding in fits of laughter.

Wow, these guys were SO mature. I was hoping that Ally being the smart person that she is, would see it and move it before sitting, but unfortunately, she had her headphones in and was looking at her iPod and sat right down on the nasty mess of exploding food. At that point, Dallas, Nathan, Zack, and Nick were rolling on the floor belting out with laughter. I felt so bad for her as she officially became the laughing stock of the cafeteria. She cried as she fled the lunchroom to the girls bathroom. I held back my brewing anger towards Dallas and the gang. I wish I could send myself back to that fort in the woods right now and just be six years old again when nothing bad ever happened. That was the day I decided that I was done being on their side. I was going to fight for Ally and stop playing the charade of my life as the coolest guy in school.

**So what did you think? Should I continue? Is it good? Bad? Let me know! I will try to to update often, but there's a lot of writing involved with this one, so it may not be sad often as my other stories. Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so here's chapter two of The longest story I've ever written! My updates will probably become less frequent coming up, but that'll be okay because since it'll be long, it needs to have suspense and build up to the climax. No more talking/writing! Read and Review!**

AUSTIN'S POV

School had just let out the day of the egg salad explosion fiasco. I trailed not too far behind Ally as we headed home. I had a car that I drove on rainy days, but we lived so close to the school that I usually just walked. As far as I knew, Ally didn't have a car. I've seen her walk to school every single day. Even through rain and snow. I've wanted to offer her a ride more than once, but I just didn't have the guts to do it.

Now that I've officially decided to try to recover my friendship with Ally, I had no idea how to do it. I mean, I haven't said a word to her in three years. It's ridiculous that we live right across the street from each other, have multiple classes together, and used to be best friends, and it's been that long since we've talked. I don't even know if she wants to be friends anymore. But I was going to try. Today. Right now.

I was still currently walking about thirty steps behind her, coming close to our houses. Just before she got to her front door, I followed her right up to her driveway, sucked in a deep breath and said,

"Hey Ally!"

She looked at me with a really confused expression, but not replying. So I kept talking.

"What's up?" I asked shakily.

Her confusion turned into an expression of complete disgust and she turned around and walked into her house slamming the door shut loudly.

"Well that went well." I muttered to myself sarcastically.

I sluggishly turned to make my way back to my house letting out a sigh. How was I ever going to get her to listen to me?

ALLY'S POV

Long story short, my life sucks. You wanna know why? Because everyone in my life has turned against me that's why. I used to have parents, best friends, people who cared. Not anymore.

My mom died about three years ago. Eighth grade, to be exact.  
Everything starting falling downhill from there. Who am I kidding? The start of middle school was the fall. In elementary school, I was the social butterfly. I was friends with everybody. Austin Moon in particular. He was my best friend since birth. We have a lot of history together.

But middle school started and people were starting to be categorized by how they looked and what they did. Unfortunately for me, I guess I didn't meet those standards. I was thrown into the nerd category and left to fend for myself. I tried sticking around Austin for a little while, but he somehow climbed to the top of the food chain with every other jerk in our school. Eventually popularity took its course and everyone had their official spot in the social class.

By eighth grade, Austin and I didn't even spare each other a passing glance. Then that's when my mom died. She had some freak heart attack at work one day. I was absolutely devastated. Me and my mom were really close. She was my mom, sister, best friend(at the time), and my shoulder to lean on. Yeah, I had my dad, but me and him were never that close. Losing her was like losing half of myself. I couldn't bear the agony it put me through to know that she was gone.

My closest friend at the time was Trish. I tried to talk to her about it, and she listened, but I couldn't help but think how much better Austin would have listened. Even though he could be a totally different person by now, he was still my best friend until seventh grade.

I thought there was a chance we could go back to being friends since nothing ever happened between us, we just grew apart. But I started to constantly get bullied by people when I got into ninth grade, only to find out that it was a group of Austin's friends. Then he witnessed my total embarrassment in the cafeteria and sat there with his laughing friends and didn't do a single thing to acknowledge me or help. So much our friendship, because he obviously doesn't care anymore.

Honestly, I was hoping he would care because secretly he was my first crush. I mean, we kissed each other multiple times in this old fort in his backyard. Those were some good times. It wasn't weird then, but thinking about now would be weird. But I knew that he definitely didn't feel the same, and honestly I don't anymore either. We are two totally different people than we were before. And obviously fate decided for us that it wouldn't work out anyway.

That day when I was covered in egg salad, and walking home though, he did something he hadn't done in three years. He talked to me. I was just about to walk into my house when he called out my name. I stopped and turned around to see what caused him to randomly talk to me after three years. He paused then asked me what was up. My blood boiled at the nerve of this guy. He thinks he can be my best friend, then go years without talking to me, stand around and watch me get bullied and humiliated, not care at all about me, then just talk to me like we were friends? No. That's not how it works. I turned and slammed the door without saying a word.

I immediately smelled the rotting odor of alcohol filling the house. That would be my dad everyone. Ever since my mom died, he went into some sort of depression, thinking he could drown his sorrows in beer. But now he is just a rude, surly, lazy bum that sleeps and drinks all day everyday. He hardly acknowledges that I exist. All I wanted was support and someone who cared when mom died. But I got nasty old man instead. Thank you so much life.

I ignored my dad's cussing fit, buried my nose in my sweatshirt, and climbed the stairs to my room. There was a puddle of vomit in the hallway that I tried hard to ignore. I quickly locked myself in my room and opened the window hoping the fumes would escape. I slumped down to the ground and broke down into a hysterical fit of racking sobs.

Everything from this day, this school year, my life in general, took its toll on me. I heard my dad yelling and beating on the walls, glass bottles shattering against the floor. I only cried harder. Welcome to my life everyone.

**Chapter two! What did you think? Reviews equal happiness! Please make me happy! Review!? ﾟﾘﾄ****? ﾟﾘﾄ**


	3. Chapter 3

**Since this is a short chapter, I decided to just go ahead and post it so I didn't keep you guys waiting for nothing. My chapters vary in size all the time. Some are short and some are long. It just depends on what's going on. Well, enjoy!**

AUSTIN'S POV

I hadn't tried talking to Ally again. I honestly didn't know how. Obviously the direct approach didn't work at all. I was in my room laying flat on my bed tossing a piece of balled up paper through the air. I had been thinking for probably two hours.

Just then a loud crashing noise came from outside. I hopped up and looked out my window across the street to Ally's house. I could see straight into her room through the open window. Her dad was in her room throwing things at the wall and yelling. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but he seemed furious. I wondered what had gotten into him, I thought he was a generally easy-going person. But then again, that was many years ago. Obviously something had been going on over there recently, because her dad has changed, and so has Ally. I haven't seen her mom in a while, so I don't know how she's doing.

Ally stormed out of the front door and ran out of the house down the street. I got up, slipped some shoes on and followed after her. She had ran down some old dirt road behind the neighborhood that looked to lead seemingly nowhere. I wasn't close enough for her to know I was following her yet. So I watched as she started kicking a tree, then punching and pounding it, and finally falling against it and break down crying. That's when I stepped up.

"Hey, are...you okay?" I asked sincerely, yet nervously.

She seemed startled by my presence and jerked her head out of her arms.

"What are you doing here?!" She hissed between sobs.

"I heard all the commotion from across the street and came to see if you were okay." I answered.

"It's none of your business. Get away!" She cried. It stung to know she didn't want my attention.

"Well, you just...didn't seem...okay." I tried to reason with her.

"Well I'm not! I'm not okay! And I probably never will be! So if you could be so kind as to GET OUT OF HERE!" She yelled angrily.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked, still keeping calm for her sake.

"Yes! Leave! That would help me very much!" She shouted.

I stood there watching her for another few seconds before turning to walk away, knowing that me being here wasn't helping anything. I desperately wanted to stay and talk things out, but obviously my presence made her more upset. So I left, for her. If it was my decision I would be there to keep trying to reason with her. But everything I do is for her.

ALLY'S POV

My dad was in another rampage. He stormed into my room throwing bottles at me. Luckily, he was too drunk to aim correctly and he missed me every time. But shattered glass laid all over my floor. He started yelling at me for being the cause of my mom's death. I knew it was just the alcohol talking, but I still took what he said to heart for no reason.

"You killed Penny! You did it! You are such annoying little brat that you stressed her out too much! You gave her that heart attack! If it wasn't for you, life would be easy!" He yelled while slurring his words together.

I felt the pang of hurt in my heart and tears began to slowly drip out of my eyes, no matter how hard I tried to hold them back. I backed into the corner of my room trying to escape my father's grip. He grabbed my hair and yanked my head down. I held back my reaction to the pain and slapped him hard on the face. This caused him to let go and I took my chance and made a run for it.

I sprinted out the front door and ran off to who knows where. I ended up on some dirt road in the middle of nowhere. I took out my anger on a stupid tree before letting the depression get the better of me. I cried into my arms and the tree before I heard a voice asking if I was okay. I immediately jerked up to see who had found me, and of course it was none other than Austin Moon. I kept telling him to go away wondering why he would follow me out here. He kept trying to talk to me but I wasn't even going to try to listen. He eventually stopped arguing and walked away slowly.

I cried a little longer to the tree then started walking to Trish's house. There was no way I was going back home. Not now anyway. When I got there, she looked terrified to see me in such terrible condition. She gave me a questioning look.

"Family issues." I stated plainly.

She understood and let me in. She doesn't know what all goes on at my house, but she does know that I have a lot of 'family issues'. She offered me some clothes to change into and the couch/bed in her room to sleep on.

"Do you wanna watch a movie?" Trish asked.

"No, not tonight. I think I just want to go to sleep." I told her.

"Oh, okay. Good night then. Love ya sis." She said. She called me her sister because she was the closest person in my life right now. I fell into a deep sleep. I dreamt of my life before I took the fall. The life of a five year old. The one where I had a mom, dad, friends. The one where I had Austin.

**Well, there's chapter three! What did you think? If you guys review a lot, I will post the next chapter up sooner! So if you wanna see what happens next, you must review! So get to it! Much Love guys!XXX**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright! Chapter four is up! Don't forget to review because that makes me the happiest! Read and Review!**

AUSTIN'S POV

The weekend was over and it was time to head back to school. Mondays were already bad enough, now throwing drama back into the mix, doesn't help at all. I showered and got dressed in a t-shirt, jeans and hi-tops. I looked out my window for a few minutes, watching Ally's house intently. I was waiting for her to come out and walk to school, but she never came. I finally gave up, and since today was rainy, drove to school.

I got there in probably less than five minutes. I usually met up with the guys in the main hall, but since I'm done with them, I went straight to first block. I was about fifteen minutes early considering I skipped my usual morning routine.

There were four other people in the classroom. Two kids catching up on homework, one kid reading, and Ally Dawson. She had the hood of her sweatshirt pulled down covering most of her face. Her hair was laying loosely over her shoulders hiding the parts of her face that weren't hidden from the sweatshirt. She had her headphones in, focused on her iPod.

I decided to try again to get her attention focused on me. She probably wouldn't be able to hear me if I said her name so I walked behind her and tapped her shoulder. She turned around pulling one headphone out of her ear with an expectant look on her face.

"Hi." I simply said with a smile and wave.

As soon as she saw it was me, she groaned, shoved the headphone back in her ear and turned to face the desk again. I was slowly beginning to get annoyed with her ignorance. But I wasn't gonna give up yet. I sat down backwards facing in the desk in front of her. I rested my elbows on the table looking at her intently. She paused her music.

"What do you want? Homework? Test answers? Doesn't matter, I'm not giving anything to you." She said coldly.

I wanted desperately to say, 'I want you' but decided against that.

"Why won't you just talk to me?" I asked seriously.

"Oh you mean how you talked to me for three years? No thanks." She said as her voice cracked slightly.

I immediately felt a pang of guilt. So many different thoughts and emotions flooded my mind at that time that I didn't know what to say. I felt awkward having our past brought up in the conversation. Although I did feel a distant piece of hope knowing that she still remembered who I was. I felt bad that she was upset about that. But I didn't understand why she hated me so much. I thought we just grew apart naturally. I didn't know she had a reason to hate me. She gave me a strange look as I was still zoned out on my thoughts. I had finally come up with the simplest response.

"I'm sorry Ally." I said.

I got up and walked back over to my seat. I could see her giving me a surprised look from the corner of my eye. I turned my head to look over at her, and her eyes quickly flicked back down to her iPod. The first bell rang, causing the classroom to fill up with students. Dallas came in and sat next to me. I sighed.

"Hey bro! What up?" He said slinging his bag to the floor.

"Oh, uh, nothin much." I said.

"Where were you this morning?" He asked.

"In here." I said shortly.

"Why?" He asked in a slightly disgusted tone.

"Why not? Aren't you supposed to come to class when you get to school?" I said a little rudely.

"Yeah, but no one ever does. It's lame. I mean, the only kids that ever do are the nerd twins, bookworm girl, and Dawson." He said.

"And your point is?" I asked sourly.

"The point is, we don't want the king hanging with the nobodies." He reasoned while giving me a friendly punch on the arm.

"Well if I'm the king, then I should be able to do what I want. And I wanted to come here. Any problems?" I said, bitterness clearly evident in my voice by now.

"Dude chill out. I didn't know you had 'a thing' for being lame." He said sarcastically.

"Shut up Dallas." I said through gritted teeth.

"Whatever bro..." He said focusing his attention back to his phone.

The teacher came in and started the class. I attempted to do my work today, but became to focused on Ally.

After what seemed like forever, the bell rang to get out of class. I headed to second block. It felt just as long, if not longer. Finally lunch came around.

I had waited in the lunch line for my food and went out to find Ally. Nathan and Zack from my usual table were waving and motioning me to sit with them. I sent an insincere smile and halfhearted wave in their direction. Then I walked right past them and plopped down right across from Ally at her table. My friends sent me confused glances then started laughing and giving me thumbs up because they thought I might prank her or something.

"Hey Ally!" I said cheerfully.

"Again? What's your deal? I swear if you have any egg salad on you, I will hurt you." She said with ice laced in her voice.

"I don't have any food other than what's on my tray. And I don't plan on it ending up anywhere except my stomach." I said with a short laugh.

She just shot me the death glare so I quickly refrained the laugh. I noticed she still had in one of her headphones.

"What music do you listen to?" I asked.

She just plain ignored me.

"Aren't you going to eat lunch?" I asked also noticing she didn't have any food with her.

"No. I'm not hungry." She muttered.

Then she got up and left to the girls bathroom. Crap. The one place that I can't follow her to. I sighed with frustration and continued to eat the rest of my lunch. This was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

ALLY'S POV

I arrived to school from Trish's house. She offered me more clothes to wear to school, but I declined her offer because I felt more comfortable in my sweatshirt. I sat in home room waiting for the day to end. Although I didn't want to go home either.

Out of nowhere, Austin started trying to talk to me. What was with him? I accidentally mentioned our past when we talked. He sat there looking very distant for a while then simply apologized and left. I was shocked, maybe even hopeful that he apologized. But I let it go because I know that I can't trust him. Our entire friendship was lies. He said we would be best friends forever. Just look at us now.

When lunch rolled around, he approached me again. I was beginning to get very annoyed with him. He kept asking me pointless questions trying to get me to talk to him. I just ignored him and left. I went to the girls bathroom to make sure he wouldn't try and follow me again.

I ended up just deciding to ditch school. I snuck out of the girls locker room exit and wandered back into the woods hoping to find a place where I could just give up on life. That seemed to be the best option at the time. I honestly don't see how my life could actually get any worse.

I walked until I could no longer stand. I fell to my knees and curled myself into a ball on the forest floor. I didn't even cry. I didn't even have enough strength to cry anymore. I had cried out all my tears and I was officially done.

**What did you think? Be sure to review! And just to let you guys know, I'm currently writing chapter eighteen. I'm making great progress with this one and I plan to be posting as often as possible! But remember, if I don't get any feedback throughout the chapters, then I'm not gonna waste time posting a story that nobody wants to read. So if you want the next chapters, be sure to review! P.S.- thanks for all the reviews so far! I read every single one and each one makes my day better! Until next time! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter five! I didn't get as much feedback as I usually do with a new chapter, but I wanted to get this story posted, because it does get better I promise. I don't want anyone losing interest because of one sucky chapter, so just bear with me. I'm now on chapter nineteen, and for those of you who were wondering, Auslly will get here, I promise. So enjoy, Read & Review! :D**

AUSTIN'S POV.

Ally hadn't been at school for about a week. I was starting to get worried about her. All of my 'friends' kept high-fiving me and congratulating me. Apparently they thought that I had said something to her that day at lunch that ran her out of town. Maybe I did. I didn't think I said anything too bad. I just said hi, asked her what music she listened to, and if she was going to eat lunch. I don't think that's an intimidating conversation.

I went to the principal to ask about Ally. Usually they had records of students that didn't show up to school. I walked past Dallas in the hall and he tried to get me to go beat up some kid with him. No thanks. I arrived in the office.

"Mrs. Kline, do you have any information on Ally Dawson? Like, where she has been and stuff?" I asked.

"That's classified information Mr. Moon. I don't believe you have the right to know about it." She stated.

"But she's my...uh...friend" I lied. "I live right across the street from her and I haven't seen her since last Monday. I just wanted to make sure she's okay."

"Well, I guess I can tell you that a missing persons report has been filed for her by the De la Rosa family. The location of her parents is currently unknown along with Ally. She was last seen that Monday leaving through the girls locker room, heading towards the woods on the back left side of the school." She explained.

I immediately felt sick knowing that she was missing. Why would she run away? Heck if I knew, I really had no idea what was going on in her life.

"Well, um, thank you Mrs. Kline." I said.

I anxiously waited for the final bell to ring so I could go home. I needed to help find Ally. When I did get home, I dropped of my stuff at my house, then made my way over to Ally's front door knocking rapidly. The door swung open from my repetitive knocking. I immediately gagged at the awful stench of alcohol that rushed into my nose.

I stuck my head in the doorway looking around cautiously. It was dark in the house and everything was a total wreck. The furniture was dirty and stained, along with the floor. I saw numerous piles of vomit around the house. Broken glass and trash was everywhere.

"Ally?" I called into the nasty house.

There was no reply. I took a couple steps into the house only to find that the odor increased greatly.

"Ally!" I yelled louder.

Still no answer. I assumed that no one was in the house and backed out of the house shutting the door behind me. I coughed and doubled over in the front yard, seriously thinking I might puke. I calmed my stomach before it happened though. I suddenly had an idea. I made my way back to the school.

I remembered that the principal said that she was last seen walking off into the woods outside the girls locker room. I walked around to the back left side of the school and trudged into the woods.

ALLY'S POV

Eight days. Eight days that I've been out in these woods. Eight days since I've had anything to eat. I was in extremely poor condition and I knew it. I was already skinny and losing weight before, so that fact made it worse. I could clearly see my ribs and hip bones. My shoulders and collarbone stuck out noticeably as well. My arms and legs hardly had any meat on them, and I probably looked like a walking skeleton.

I barely had the strength to move. There was a nearby stream that I had been drinking water out of this whole time. If it wasn't for that stream, I'd probably be dead. Which doesn't so bad right now. Why am I even trying to stay alive? Nobody could care less about me anyway.

I really didn't want to die though. I was still human, I still wanted to be part of this world. I was only sixteen. Dying now was too soon. But I couldn't help but think how easy it would be to slip away right now. No more pain or suffering. Even though I knew how dangerous it was, I fell asleep. I had been awake about 90% of the time I had been out here, limiting my sleep as much as possible. I had been too afraid of slipping into unconsciousness in my sleep.

I had a dream that I was dying. But someone saved me. I never knew who it was, but they rescued me and everything in my life went back to normal. But then I was being pushed. Someone kept pushing me. It got really annoying. I heard the murmuring of a voice in the background. I was slowly fading out of my dream, the pushing felt more evident on my shoulders. I soon realized that I was awake again. I opened my eyes with the last bit of strength I could muster and saw a blur of a figure standing above me. It took about ten seconds for my vision to recover, I then saw that the figure was Austin Moon.

**There's chapter five! Sorry that it was so short! but it was the only place I could break it up going into the next chapter,(which will be longer than this one definitley!) Tell me what you thought! I'm begging! I'll try to update soon if the feedback is plentiful! Until next time peoples! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**I've now got chapter six up! The story is about to hopefully get interesting! Auslly is slowly on its way! Hint hint. Don't forget, READ&REVIEW!**

AUSTIN'S POV

It was getting dark now. I had been walking through the woods desperately searching for some sign of Ally. I was so thirsty. I couldn't even imagine what she was going through if she really had been out here as long as she's been gone. I came across a stream and quickly began to gulp down as much as I could. As I was quenching myself, I spotted something on a nearby rock.

I walked over to it to examine what it was. I felt my heart nearly stop with fear and hope when I saw what it was. They were headphones. But not just any headphones. Green ones, the ones that Ally always used. I had to be getting close to finding her. I would imagine that she would stay relatively close to this stream to survive. If she survived. I didn't even want to think about that.

I kept walking down the direction of the stream, constantly calling Ally's name. I began to lose hope when another hour passed by. My instinct would've been to turn around and go home by now. But everything I do is for her. And I decided to fight for her. And that's what I'm going to do.

I kept on trudging through the forest. I never even knew it was this big. I came across another big clue to find her. In a patch of wet mud next to the stream, there were words written in the mud. They read, 'I don't actually want to die, I just want to be saved'.

That had to be Ally. It looked recent too. It had rained two days ago, so it couldn't have been before that or it would've washed away. So I know for a fact that she has been here in the last 48 hours. Or at least somebody has. But I don't think too many depressed people wander the woods regularly.

It was probably another thirty minutes before I finally found what I was looking for. The sun was setting by now and light was fading rapidly.

I was walking on a hill and I looked down to see a bundle of something balled up on the ground. I walked over to see what it was and nearly had a heart attack when I found out it was Ally wrapped up in her sweatshirt.

I immediately sat down beside her, started pushing her shoulder and tapping her repetitively and calling her name to try to get her to respond. I prayed that she wasn't already gone. It took about five minutes of this to finally get her to squirm around. I let out a sigh of huge relief. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at me for a minute without saying anything.

"Ally? Are you okay?" I asked with strong concern.

"Austin?" She asked weakly. She had no idea how good it felt for me to hear her say my name again. After all these years.

"Yes, it's me. Austin." I said chuckling with relief.

"Oh Austin!" She cried.

Then she flung herself into my chest.

She cried, and cried, and kept on crying. All I did was hug her gently, stroking her hair and her back, telling her that everything was going to be okay in a soothing voice. She finally stopped crying and held onto me tightly. I rocked her back and forth, comforting her.

"You gonna be okay?" I asked.

"I hope so." She said between sniffles.

"Why did you run out here anyway?" I asked curiously.

"I don't know." She said, her voice starting to crumble again.

"How long have you been out here?" I questioned.

"Today makes nine days. I think." She answered.

"Have you eaten anything?" I asked, feeling concerned again.

"No. I've only drank water from that stream." She said.

"Oh, you must be starving." I said quietly, trying to keep my own stomach from rumbling.

"Yeah, but not really. After about day five, it felt like my stomach just caved in. Now it's just pain, not hunger." She mumbled.

"You might have caused some serious damage. I think you should go to a doctor." I said.

"I think we should stay here until the morning because I wouldn't know where to go right now anyway." She said.

"Oh, I guess so." I said. Only now realizing that it was pitch black out here.

"So now let me ask you something." She said, her voice hoarse from crying, and lack of proper fluids.

"What?" I asked back.

"Why are you out here?" She stated flatly.

"To find you." I said honestly.

"Why?" She asked with a more bitter tone, with some sadness weaved in as well.

"I don't know why. I came out here on instinct kind of. I felt like it was partially my fault that you left." I told her.

"Oh." She said quietly.

"Should we sleep?" I asked.

"I need sleep, but I'm afraid to go to sleep. I might not have the strength to wake up." She said softly.

"It's okay. I'll be here with you all night. You're not dying on my watch." I said, although I felt her tense up at use of the word 'dying'. My bad. I laid down and she curled up next to me as we slept on the ground of the forest.

ALLY'S POV

I was laying on the ground while Austin was sitting beside me nudging me and calling my name. I couldn't believe that it was actually him. The fact that he came out here to get me, meant a lot. Maybe I was still dreaming. Maybe I was dead.

But once he confirmed that it was actually him, I broke down in his arms. I cried for who knows how long. He kept asking if I was okay and why I was out here and a bunch of other stuff. I gave bare minimum answers and asked him why he was out here. He said he didn't really know and that he came out here because he felt like it was partly his fault that I ran off.

Great. So he just came out here out of his own guilt. Or his jerk friends probably just wanted him to bring me back so they can get a few more laughs out of my humiliation. Whatever. Right now, I was just glad someone was here to help me. Because that's all I wanted, a savior.

AUSTIN'S POV

The light from the morning sun shone down on me and Ally. I woke slowly noticing that Ally was shivering heavily next to me. That definitely wasn't normal considering it was probably getting close to seventy degrees.

"Ally, Ally come on, wake up." I said nudging her.

Her eyes lifted open as she groaned with distress. The color had drained from her face, and it wasn't until now in the light that I noticed how prominent her bones were. She needed medical attention. Now.

**Chapter six! What did you think? Please tell me! I love to read your comments! And who knows? Maybe I'll just have to throw in a twist in the later chapters...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's chapter seven! Thank you so so much for the reviews! Each and every one means a lot! Keep reading on and enjoy and review!**

AUSTIN'S POV

Ally was in terrible condition. We had just woken up, and she was curled up on the ground, moaning and shivering. I was so worried and scared that she might die on me, right here. I had no idea how long it would take to get back home, or if she could even make it home.

"Ally? Can you get up?" I asked nervously.

She never answered but she tried to push herself up on one arm and immediately fell back to the ground. She then started coughing hysterically. Not only that, but she was coughing up blood. Oh no. That obviously can't be good.

"Ally! Can you hear me? You need to get up!" I half yelled, my voice now racked with fear.

Again without a response, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Literally. I picked her up carefully off the ground. I decided if she couldn't get up, I would have to take her back myself. Once I had her in my arms, I literally felt as if I was holding no more than twenty-five pounds.

I started to head back to the creek and stopped there first to try to get her to take drinks of the water. I took a few gulps myself. She ended up having to sip it out of my hand because she made no effort to move.

Once that was out of the way, I carried her down the direction if the stream. I'm pretty sure that it was the way I came through, but it was dark yesterday, and I wasn't focused on anything except finding Ally. I knew I was headed in the right direction because I had just passed the rock which still had Ally's headphones on it. I didn't bother picking them up because that was definitely not important right now.

After about two hours of trekking, Ally was completely limp. I stopped to check on her, she was still breathing slowly, so I continued walking. But I felt lost. Everything felt repetitive. I know I've seen that tree before. That rock looks familiar. That pile of leaves is in the same spot it has been all day. I was losing my mind.

Basically the girl who I loved so dearly, was practically laying dead in my arms, I was in the middle of nowhere, and I was beginning to feel the struggle of this whole thing. I needed to stop and clear my head for a minute.

I laid Ally down on a patch of soft grass that looked promising, and paced back and forth. I ran both my hands through my hair, and huffed out deep breaths. I was slowly giving up. I did something very desperate. I yelled at the top of my lungs for help.

"HELP!" I shouted through the trees.

Of course there was no reply. I broke down for a minute to try and relieve stress. I collapsed. I buried my face in my hands and cried. This was all my fault. I don't know why, but it sure felt like it. After my short breakdown, I gathered myself to try and think again. I had an idea. I spotted a very large tree that stood taller than most of the others. I climbed up it carefully making sure I wouldn't fall.

I eventually got as high as I could and looked around. My hopes of escape faded just as quickly as they came as I saw absolutely nothing but more trees. I made my way back down the tree to Ally. Surprisingly, she was completely un-phased by everything and showed no sign of response. I picked her up and continued walking in the same direction I had been walking in for hours.

I ended up walking into a big open field of tall grass. It was a big clearing with a border of trees. I laid Ally down once more, hoping to keep myself together long enough to get out of here. I looked up at the sky. The sky was blue, there were white puffy clouds and birds soaring in the breeze. Everything showed signs of a beautiful day, but I was having the worst day.

I looked down at Ally who was laying unconscious on the ground. She was in terrible condition, yet she was still the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. The sun shone down across her features, highlighting her brunette hair perfectly.

"I'm so, so sorry Ally. I didn't mean to get you into this. I feel like it was my fault, and I'm really sorry. But don't worry, I will get you out of here and everything will be okay. You'll be okay. I promise." I said to her.

I knew she couldn't hear me, but it felt better to make sure that I apologized. It was getting later, my guess was that it was probably close to five in the afternoon.

My parents are probably freaking out right now. I never told them that I left, I just ran off. I can't imagine what Ally's parents are going through. They are probably worried sick about her, I knew I was, and I have hardly talked to her in three years.

I wanted to lay down and sleep right here, and wait until tomorrow to keep going. Because I was exhausted. I had been carrying Ally through the woods all day. But I had to keep going now. I didn't know how much longer Ally could keep going out here. She is on the brink of death, and she's quickly slipping away. I tried not to think about that and picked her up and walked off again.

After what seemed like days, I heard a familiar noise. The noise of traffic. Cars. Cars meant people. I started picking up the pace heading towards the sounds. I came to another clearing in the trees and found myself standing beside an interstate. My heart filled with hope and excitement to know that I could get someone's attention from here, but I got a sick feeling again when I saw a street sign that read 'Nosville-3 miles'. Nosville was the exact opposite direction from our town. And it was also a LONG way from home too. I can't believe I walked that far. I thought I was going in the right direction. This isn't good.

**Sorry that this was another skins a short chapter, since Ally isn't conscious in this chapter, I didn't make a point of view for her which made this one shorter. Chapter eight is soon on its way! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**So here is chapter eight! I'm making great progress with this story and my feedback for it is AMAZING! Thank you guys so so so much for all your reviews, favs, follows, they mean a lot to me! FYI- I just finished chapter nineteen and I'm now working on twenty. You guys better be prepared for chap nineteen because it was a LONG one! Read and Review! :D :D**

AUSTIN'S POV

I had been trying to flag down drivers for about thirty minutes. No luck. Most cars couldn't exactly just pull over and stop while going about eighty miles per hour. Especially not to pick up two random, dirty, hobo-looking kids off the side of the street.

Finally, one woman in a blue van turned on her caution lights and proceeded to pull over. I walked over to her van and she rolled down her window.

"Do you need help?" She asked politely.

"Yes. Yes I do. My friend over here has been stranded in these woods for multiple days and is in very bad condition. She needs to see a doctor immediately." I explained.

"Oh my goodness! Well, I guess I could give you a lift to the nearest hospital, but it will take about an hour from here." She offered.

"That would be great! Thank you so, so much! You have no idea." I said, appreciating her kindness.

"Alright, hop in." She said.

I picked up Ally and laid her across the back seats, then climbed in next to her and rested her head on my lap.  
We starting driving in the designated direction and I relaxed myself.

I looked down at Ally who still seemed unconscious. Luckily her breathing had remained stable. I slowly started running my fingers through her hair, picking out the leaves and twigs. I kept running my fingers through her hair hoping to soothe her, even if she wasn't aware of anything. I gently rubbed the dirt and mud off of her cheeks and forehead with my thumb.

I noticed she was still in that big sweatshirt of hers. Out of curiosity, I lifted her arm and slid up the sleeve of the sweatshirt. I quickly noticed how rapidly her body mass had decreased. I could clearly see every bone with detail. She had cuts and scrapes all over her arms as well. I slid the sleeve back down and replaced her arm next to her body.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up in the woods anyway?" The woman driving, asked.

"Um, well, It's a long and complicated story, and I honestly don't know half of it." I tried to explain.

"Oh, well, that's okay, you don't need to explain." She said changing her mind.

I wrapped up Ally's hand in mine and looked down at her again. I leaned my head back on the headrest and tried to drift off to sleep. It didn't take long.

Before I knew it, the woman was trying to wake me up, explaining that we had arrived at the hospital. My fatigue quickly disappeared and I hurriedly got up and carried Ally into the lobby with the woman. We told the lady at the front desk a quick overview of the problem and she sent us to the emergency room. Me and the woman had to stand outside of the room until Ally was stable.

"Ya know, I never got your name." Said the woman that was with me.

"Oh, sorry, my name is Austin Moon and my friend is Ally Dawson. And you?" I asked.

"Anna Taylor. Nice to officially meet you Austin." She said as we shook hands.

"Thanks again for everything, you really helped us out." I thanked her.

"No problem. I went through some tough times too when I was younger. That's why I help people so often. Because I know how hard it can get." Anna said.

I just smiled and focused my attention back to the room Ally was in. They had fluids being pumped into her through many different tubes and doctors were all around her doing different things.

"So is Ally your girlfriend?" Anna asked.

"Oh, uh, no. We are just friends. Or at least I think we are. We used to be anyway. It's complicated." I chuckled to hide my true emotions.

"I get it. Lots of high school drama involved?" She asked.

"Yup." I answered with a sigh.

"That's what I thought. I'm a counselor for troubled teens. I deal with a lot of stuff like that all the time." Anna explained.

"Oh." I said, too focused on Ally to pay a whole lot of attention to the conversation.

"I understand that you're worried about her, I'll leave you alone for a little while." She told me as she walked back to the front lobby.

I continued to watch intently towards the emergency room, waiting for any sign of progress. Finally, the doctor came out and gave me a progress report.

"It seems that she is famished and very dehydrated. We are pumping fluids into her body to keep her stable. We are going to have to perform surgery on her stomach because there are a lot of problems there. Basically since she hasn't eaten, her stomach has been feeding off itself, digesting parts of the stomach lining." He explained.

"Is she going to be okay?" I said quietly, barely able to speak.

"Most likely. We have dealt with these problems before, and as long as she remains stable throughout her surgery, she should be back to normal in no time." He said reassuringly.

I let out a sigh of relief knowing that she would be probably be okay.

"She has regained consciousness, and you should be able to see her in a few minutes." The doctor said before retreating down the hall to another room.

I waited outside the room until the nurse let me in. When she did, I slowly walked through the door and found Ally turning her gaze towards me. She lifted her hand up to wave and the nurse left us alone.

ALLY'S POV

First thing, I was looking up at Austin while shivering profusely. I started coughing like crazy, noticing the blood on the ground that was dripping off my tongue. That was the last thing I remembered until fading into darkness.

I did feel as if I was moving, but I couldn't see anything. There was occasionally a buzzing or murmuring sound that seemed way off in the distance. I was very cold, even though I couldn't feel my body thoroughly. After a long time of darkness, a sound of extra loud buzzing came through. The sound stayed audible for what seemed like about thirty minutes.

Then I felt like I was moving again, but everything was quiet. Then I felt like I could somewhat feel my head. It felt tingly, but it felt good. My face felt tingly too. Then it was my arm. But after that, all of the tingly feelings went away. Then my left hand felt very warm. It stayed like that for a while.

All of a sudden I was being moved again. I heard the sound of murmuring and voices buzzing here and there. I then felt like my body was being pricked. Something sharp was poking me. I didn't like that feeling. But the feeling left just as soon as it came.

I felt major pressure on my stomach. I do vaguely remember that my stomach had been very much in pain before the darkness. Then all the pain, pressure, sharpness, tingles, everything, was gone. I felt like I was just floating in darkness.

Then a circle of light appeared far away. It kept getting bigger, closer. I was moving towards the light. It was a big blur of bright white light. Then I was slowly coming into focus. I could feel my body again. I was under blankets. I saw a ceiling, and lights. I flicked my eyes across the room to realize that I was at a hospital. I looked down at myself noticing the many cords and tubes connected to my arms. Then I saw a woman leave the room. And someone else entered. Austin.

END CHAPTER EIGHT

AUSTIN'S POV

I had just walked into the room in which Ally was being kept in. She looked at me with wide eyes. Her eyes flicked around the room a couple more times and finally settled back on me.

"Hey." I said simply.

"Hey." Ally said back. Her voice was small and quiet.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"I think so. You know that's about the only question you have asked me for the past couple of days." She smiled.

"Well, what am I supposed to say when the person next to me practically looked dead." I said.

She looked over herself self-consciously when I mentioned the fact that she looked dead. Her smile faded and a frown took its place. Nice one Austin, I scolded myself. I brought myself to ask the question that had been lingering on my mind for days.

"Did you run away because of me?" I asked quietly.

She took a moment to answer, but finally did.

"Sort of. You were part of it I guess. But I didn't run away just because of you or anything in particular." She said, bitterness was hinting at her tone, but most of it was just sad confession.

"Then why did you?" I asked curiously.

"I really don't want to talk about it. I really, really don't." She said with more hiss in her voice this time.

I let her be, because she wanted me to. But I was still desperately wanting to know.

"I really wish I had some music to listen to." Ally said disappointedly.

"Do you still have your iPod?" I asked.

"No, I lost it somewhere in the woods with my headphones. I guess they just fell out of my sweatshirt pocket." She said.

"I found your headphones on a rock next to the creek, but I never saw an iPod." I told her.

"Well you should've picked them up." She said shortly.

"Sorry, I was a little more concerned with you at the time." I said seriously.

"I was just kidding. I don't really care about it." She said.

"You sure seemed attached to it in school." I pointed out.

"Well that's because everyone at school is stupid, and I need something else to focus on." She said anger showing up in her voice again.

"Tell you what, I'll just buy you some new ones. How about that?" I offered.

"No thanks, I don't even have an iPod anymore anyway, remember?" She said.

Then the doctor came in and announced that it was time to take her to another room for surgery.

"What?! Surgery?!" She yelled with fear and confusion.

The doctor explained her condition and what actions had to be done to correct the problem. She nodded with more fear and gulped.

"It'll be okay Ally. Everything has been going smoothly so far, and they've dealt with this before. Everything will be fine." I reassured her.

She just nodded one more time and with that they wheeled her down to the other room. I wasn't allowed in that room under any circumstances.  
So I went back to the waiting room with Anna. I gave her all the news and I tried to get another round of sleep in, before I got to see Ally again.

ALLY'S POV

Austin and I had had a short conversation with each other. Once again, he started asking questions, but I still didn't want to give him any answers. I kept telling myself that he was doing this out of guilt, and that he really didn't care. But part of me wanted to give in to his kindness. But it was all an act. Every time I let someone in, they turn against me.

I immediately freaked out when I found out that I was having surgery. I had never been through anything remotely close to that. But the doctor claimed it was for the best. Of course the doctor would. He gets paid for this.

I got to the operating table and I'm pretty sure I started having a panic attack. I really wished that my mom was here right now. She would hold my hand and tell me that everything would be okay. Austin told me everything would be okay...Snap out of it Ally!

The doctor then gave me medicine that quickly calmed me down. My heart rate slowed down rapidly. I began to feel really sleepy. Then the darkness was coming again. After a couple minutes, the darkness had me completely surrounded and I was out.

After what felt like forever, my senses slowly started returning. The feeling in my body gradually came back to me and I could see the light coming back. The first thing I heard was,

"She is stable, and she's going to be okay." A male voice said.

Whew. Now that that's over. I was okay and I was going to be fine. Good. Right? I started remembering all the things that caused me to run away. Maybe I didn't wanna be fine. That means I just have to go back to all the problems that started this mess in the first place. My dad probably doesn't even know that I was gone for a week or more.

I was put on strict bed rest at the hospital for three days. I didn't see Austin for the rest of the day because the doctor said that no one was allowed in this room until further examination of the patient. I went to sleep for the night, wondering how this incident would affect my life, or if it even would.

**What did you think? This is my longest chapter so far, and I would love to read your reviews! Until next time! :D :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay so here's chapter nine! Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! And a special thanks to ****_JoeyJar99_****, for being the first to point out that I accidentally added two chapters at once. If it wasn't for you, my chapters would be all out of whack. So thanks again! But yeah, I did add two chapters by mistake, though I was going to combine them anyway to make a longer chapter, because they were both too short to be left alone. Okay, well, enough rambling. Read and Review! :D**

AUSTIN'S POV

It ticked me off that the doctor wouldn't let me see Ally after her surgery. I had to stay in this room where friends and family of the overnight patients stayed. We had beds, tv's, and room service with hospital food. The food wasn't that good, but I hadn't eaten in two days. Ally has probably eaten twelve trays of food. Or at least if I was her I would have.

I tried to stay focused on the food, because not seeing Ally was stressing me out more than I needed right now. Anna, and a couple other people, had been asking me if I was doing okay, and who I was here for. It was really caring, yet annoying at the same time.

I saw a commotion going on across the hall. People were yelling and crying and getting very upset. Anna, who had been over there, came back to where I was.

"What is going on over there?" I asked curiously.

"Someone died. They weren't strong enough to survive through the anesthesia during surgery." She explained sadly.

"Oh my god, it wasn't Ally was it?" I asked suddenly very scared.

"No, it was the girl next door to her. She had a brain tumor." Anna told me.

"Oh, that's good." I said. Anna looked at me suspiciously. "Good for Ally! Not so much that other girl..." I explained guiltily.

We sat back down in the waiting room. I then tried TV to calm my nerves. But the only thing in my head was, 'that could've been Ally, that could've been Ally, THAT COULD'VE BEEN ALLY'. I was so close to losing her. It made me realize just how easy life can be taken away from you. If Ally was going to die, I would want her to at least die happy. And right now, I wasn't really sure if that was the case. My mom always told me that all a girl ever wants, is to be loved. So I knew what I was going to do.

ALLYS POV

It was the next morning after my surgery. The doctor came in to greet me. I gave him a welcoming smile, although it was forced.

"I bet you're ready to eat now, huh?" He questioned.

Honestly, I hadn't thought about it too much or felt the need to eat in a while. Not until now anyway. He mentioned food and my stomach immediately groaned with hunger.

"I'll take that as a yes." The doctor laughed. "But listen, you can't just stuff yourself. You have to take it slow. Your stomach is a lot smaller than usual right now because of your lack of food. If you eat a lot right now, it is very possible that you stomach could literally pop. Especially since your stomach is already raw from surgery. Do you understand?" He explained, then asked.

"I think so. Don't each much, and whatever I do eat, eat it slow." I summarized.

"You've got it. Now what can I get you to eat?" He asked.

I was required to eat some form of meat for recovery along with a vegetable, fruit and grain. I had to pick something from each category. I picked ham, green beans, applesauce, and a roll. I got a very small serving of each of the foods I picked.

I tried hard to eat them slow, because I was really hungry. It felt so good to finally feel full again, even though I wasn't even close to being full. After finally having a taste for food again, I wanted it so much more. But I knew my stomach would explode, (not literally), if I did though, so I tried to ignore the hunger.

Just then I heard a knock on the door. I assumed it was the doctor, so I said,

"Come on in."

But it wasn't the doctor. It was Austin. I was getting really tired of seeing him. Why wouldn't he just go home already? He brought in a radio with him.

"I knew how much you loved your music, so I brought you this. It's no iPod, but I think an old radio from the nurse's office is pretty high class." He joked.

I forced myself to hold back a giggle because I was supposed to hate him.

He handed it to me, and I set it down on the table next to me.

"Why are you still here?" I asked a little sharply.

"Because you're still here." He answered simply.

I gave him a confused look and rolled my eyes.

"You know I love you, right?" He said with a smile like it was nothing.

I nearly choked on my own spit from swallowing so hard. My jaw dropped slightly and my eyes opened wide. What?

**Oooh! Cliffhanger! How will Ally react? I know this chapter is really short, I'm soooooooo sorry for that! But there's been lots of changes and complications with this story because I'm working to make it better. Later chapters should be increasing in length to make up for this, I promise. Stay tuned and find out soon! Review to find out sooner! Until next time! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**I've got chapter 10 up! Your reviews were AMAZING! My updates will probably become less frequent coming up, because I'm no longer in school. I always used school wifi to upload new chapters. I have wifi at home, but only at my moms and there only there every other week, so expect slower updates. Sorry, I can't help it! But read and review anyway and I'll try my hardest to keep you guys posted! :D**

AUSTIN'S POV

The doctor finally said that I could go see Ally. I grabbed a radio from the nurse's office to take to Ally. I don't think they would notice. I knocked on her door and she just said to come on in.

I told her about the radio I brought her and she set it down next to her on the table. She asked why I was still here. I really didn't know why. It was an attraction keeping me here. I wasn't going to leave her when she needed someone by her side. I simply told her it was because she was still here. She rolled her eyes yet looked at me as if something was still unclear. I remembered my mom's 'girl advice'.

"You know I love you, right?" I smiled at her. I tried to say it as simple and meaningful as possible. I tried to keep a cool demeanor, but on the inside, I was panicking. It was risky to say, but I felt the need to get it off my chest. Because it was true. It was definitely true.

The look she gave me was priceless. I doubt I ever even told her that when we were little.

"You what?" She managed to get out.

"I love you." I said more clearly. Still keeping my cool, on the outside.

"Wha...uh..I..it..can't you just leave me alone?" She stuttered.

I hated the fact that she was so defensive. But I didn't get upset. I expected this from her, so I was just gonna keep trying. But as of right now, I left the room. Know why? Yep, because everything I do is for her. Once I got back into the lobby, I was bombarded with questions from many people like, 'is she okay?, what happened?, did she make it?, did she talk to you?, what's going on?', and so forth. I understand that the people were trying to be supportive, but could they just give a guy a break?

I decided to go get some fresh air. I walked out of the hospital. About one block down the road, there was a strip mall. I decided to just walk around there for a while and clear my head.

I bought a new t-shirt and a pair of jeans because I hadn't changed clothes in three days, and these weren't so fresh anymore. I changed into my new clothes and bought a bottle of dry shampoo, and men's cologne to help clean myself up a little. I bought some real food and scarfed it down. I saw a man selling smoothies. I went there immediately.

Smoothies reminded me of Ally. When we were little, our parents would always take us out for smoothies. It ended up being tradition every Friday after school. I would always get mango, and she would always get strawberry. But just like everything else in our past, the tradition slowly disappeared.

Out of habit, I ordered a mango smoothie. I hadn't had one in probably four years. But it didn't feel right without my best friend next to me drinking a strawberry one. So I bought another strawberry smoothie and hurried back to the hospital before it got melty.

I remembered that she had to be on a special diet for a few days, so I had to clear it with the doctor first. Luckily, he said it was okay, as long as she took long, slow sips on it. I let myself in Ally's room and found her gazing out the window with a distant look on her face. I felt her pain, I wouldn't want to be restricted to bed rest in a hospital for three or four days either.

She turned to look at who had entered her room, then switched her gaze back to the window.

"Hey, I got something for you." I told her softly.

This caused her attention to be focused on me once again. She raised one eyebrow, giving me an expectant look.

"It's a strawberry smoothie. Can you guess what flavor I got?" I said handing her the cup.

She just looked at me, then grabbed the cup and starting gulping it down. I remembered what the doctor had said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. The doctor only allowed you to have this if you took your time drinking it. Your stomach isn't strong enough to handle that much at one time. I just got it for you because I figured you wanted something other than hospital food for a change, also, last time I checked, you were in love with these things." I explained.

She still didn't respond, just started taking slower sips. She kept eyeing me, then the door. Unfortunately, I took the hint. I glumly headed towards the door but just before leaving, I quietly said,

"I love you." and walked out.

ALLY'S POV

I was laying in my hospital bed, staring out the window. So many things were running through my mind. How did my life go so far downhill so quickly? Why me? I was always a good person, I never got in trouble, I had good friends. Emphasis on had. So why did life have to be so cruel to me?

Then my mind went back to Austin. I still couldn't get over the fact that he said he loved me. What was that supposed to mean? He doesn't even know me. Not the more recent me anyway. Yet he has been going out of his way all of a sudden to communicate with me. There was no way I could ever love him. Not again. I used to, but he obviously didn't think that I was good enough of a friend to keep.

Just as my thoughts were revolved around him, the boy himself came into the room again. I wasn't going to talk to him. I looked back out the window. Maybe if I just ignored him long enough, he would just officially leave me alone.

But then he said he had something for me. As much as I wanted him to leave, I was curious. I gave him an expectant look and he handed me a smoothie. A strawberry one. He asked me to guess what flavor he had. He was clearly trying to get me to reflect on the past, which was something that I was not interested in. I ignored his question and took the smoothie. He told me I was supposed to drink it slow because of my stomach. Oh yeah, my stomach. The reason I'm laying in this bed right now. Darn it. I just want to drink this thing.

I slowed down and he stood there silently. I eyed the door hoping he would get the hint to leave. I think he did because he slowly made his way to the door. But just as he walked out, I heard him say 'I love you' in a small voice. Again with this? I sighed and threw my head back into the pillow, letting my eyes return to the window. I wanted so desperately to get away. Away from it all. Escape to somewhere where I could survive on my own without anyone else and get out of here.

**What did you think? Good? Bad? Be sure to tell me and I'll see you guys at chapter eleven! :D :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, sorry to anyone who read the previous chapter eleven...I accidentally added chapter ten twice, but I removed it and posted the actual chapter eleven. So here it is, enjoy! Read and Review!**

AUSTIN'S POV

Today was finally the day Ally was allowed to leave the hospital. She was probably excited, and I was excited for her. Anna was making sure she had the directions to my house right, because she was taking us home.

Apparently, neither one of Ally's parents had answered the phone when they checked her records for phone numbers. Because it was an emergency, 'life on the line' type situation, everything was free. No charge on any medicine or procedures. That was good, because I definitely couldn't have paid for anything.

Ally came walking out of her room, and towards the waiting room where Anna and I were. It was the first time I had seen her walk on her own since that day at school. The doctor gave her a few more tips and precautions to be aware of and sent her on her way. I tried to make small talk, but of course, I was ignored once again. It was a silent ride the entire way back home, Ally ended up actually sleeping most of the ride. I thanked Anna one last time, and woke up Ally to get out of the van.

Once Anna had drove off, we were both standing in my driveway. Ally watched intently at her house with a depressed look. I shuddered as I remembered the condition of the house. She looked up at me, to her house, then back up at me.

"You okay?" I asked.

She simply nodded. "I just,...don't really want to go home." She muttered.

I didn't want to mention the fact that I went into her house, because she seemed to already hate me enough.  
"Why not?" I asked innocently.

"It's not really any of your business. I don't want to talk about it anyway." She said snappily.

"Oh...alright. Well, I guess you'll go where you wanna go, but just know, that I will always be here if you need somebody to go to. Oh, and try not to run off again." I said in a light, yet serious tone.

She rolled her eyes at me.

I patted her back with my hand before turning towards my house saying, "I love you."

She never turned back to face me, she just slowly started taking steps towards her house.

ALLY'S POV

I was officially allowed to leave the hospital. I was happy to get out of here, but not so thrilled to be returning to where I came from.

I rode back home with Austin and the woman who apparently drove us here in the first place. Austin kept trying to start a conversation, but I honestly don't know why he tried. I ignored him and pretended to sleep so it would be less awkward for the both of us.

I was woken up what seemed like two hours later, and had to get out to go home. If I could even call it home. I talked shortly to Austin. I was debating on whether or not I should thank him, but decided against it, because honestly, I wasn't that happy to be back. He patted my back, told me he loved me, and walked into his house.

I couldn't even think about that right now because I was actually scared of what could be waiting for me at home. What if my dad got mad at me for running away? He would probably try to start hurting me again. I decided that it was now or never and slowly started crossing the street.

I had gotten to the front door, and already smelled the hazy stench of beer. I laid my hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly. I didn't hear anything, so I continued inside. I gagged. I thought I would be used to that awful odor by now, but I had been away from it for so long, that it was like smelling it again for the first time.

The power was out, because I tried the switch and it didn't work. None of them did. The house was more of a wreck than usual, if that was even possible. Then I did something that took a lot of guts.

"DAD!" I yelled through the seemingly empty house.

There was no reply. I continued to the upstairs and walked into my room. It was just as I had left it. I continued walking down the hall to my dad's room. The floors creaked, and other than that, it was complete silence. There was an eerie, uneasy feeling in the air. I knew something was wrong before I even saw it. I opened the door anyway, and stepped in. Right when I saw what was in that room, I gasped and turned my eyes away immediately.

My dad was laying on the floor, motionless, with a puddle of old, dried up blood that had leaked out of his mouth. He laid there with an empty broken bottle around his hand. His clothes were dirty and stained, and the room was destroyed. I bent down next to him and checked his pulse. Nothing. His skin was cold. The color had drained from his body, and his eyes as well. His once brown eyes, were a faded grey. There was no hiding it, or denying it. He was dead. He had finally drunk himself dead.

I ran downstairs, trying to escape the house that had once built me up, and now destroyed me. Once I was in the front yard, I didn't know where to go. Nobody other than Austin even knew that I was alive. But his house wasn't an option. Not for me. He is a big part of why my life is the way that it is. I can't just keep running to Trish. I didn't feel like running away to the woods again. Instead, I collapsed right there in the front yard.

I cried. I cried for mercy. Life had officially taken everything away from me. There was nothing left for me to hope for. I had been thinking that my dad would one day return to his sane ways, and help me through. But now, that last percentage of hope was gone.

"Why?! Why did you do this to me?! What did I do to deserve this?! You've taken everything else! You might as well just take me too! I'm done!" I screamed with pure hatred, at the top of my lungs.

I hated feeling like this. I felt like life was against me just to bully me like everyone else. But I'm stronger than this. I was done letting life push me around. I was done hiding behind my pain. I was going to forget about all of this. I was going to go back to school. I was going to make it through this. Here is me, standing up to life.

**So what did you think? I would love to read your reviews! Try and tell me what you think Ally will do! How do you think she will deal with everything? If someone guesses close to the real plot, I'll give you a shout-out in the next chapter! If I get more than ten reviews for this chapter today, I'll add the next chapter tonight! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Two chapters in one day! Your reviews were amazing! I never thought I'd have 74 reviews by the eleventh chapter, or at all, like seriously, you guys are AWESOME! I can't wait to see your feedback for this chapter, which is a another fairly long chapter I think. Well, Read & Review! :D**

AUSTIN'S POV

As soon as I got back in my house, my mom practically pounced on me.

"Oh my goodness! Honey! Where have you been?! We have been so worried about you! We thought you were kidnapped!" My mom cried.

"Mom, I'm fine. I went out to find Ally. And I found her. I saved her life." I said a little proudly.

"Ally? You found her? You haven't talked to that girl in ages. Surprising though, you guys used to be as close as siblings. But I'm glad you did a good thing. But next time just tell me if you're running off to go be a superhero." My mom laughed.

"Mom, please. I would like to lay on my bed. I haven't had real sleep in quite a few days." I pleaded.

"Oh, alright honey. But we are going to have dinner together in a few hours." She told me.

"Fine." I said.

And with that, I went up to my room feeling genuinely relaxed for once. I immediately fell into a deep sleep. I ended up skipping dinner to sleep. My parents didn't seem to mind too much. My dreams revolved around the one girl that was always on my mind. Even though she practically hated my guts, I felt like that same connection we had before, was still vaguely there, holding us together. There were times when it felt more present than other times, but nevertheless, it was there.

I woke up the next morning, and unfortunately, I had to go to school.

I assumed Ally would be going as well, but I wasn't so sure. I got dressed and ready, grabbed my book bag, and proceeded to walk to school. I didn't see Ally walk out of her house, but she probably already left anyway if she was going to go to school, because she always gets there early.

Once I got into the hallways. I was bombarded with questions all over again. Most of them about people wondering where I had been. I simply ignored all their questions and comments. I walked into home room to find Ally claiming her usual spot, right there at her desk.

Though, she looked more menacing than usual. She wasn't wearing her usual clothing. She was wearing black skinny jeans, boots, and a tight black tank top with a jacket. She actually wore makeup, and it was dark and shadowy. Her hair was curled and flowing over her shoulders. I'd be lying if I said she didn't look attractive. I did notice though, that even having tight clothing, it hung loosely in some places due to her lack of food.

Since she didn't have an iPod anymore, she was busy picking at her fingernails and playing with the ends of her hair. I walked over and sat down in the desk in front of her again.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

"Haven't you noticed that talking to you isn't exactly on my list of things to do?" She said with venom dripping from her voice.

"But why?" I asked impatiently.

All she did was give me a sarcastic heartless smile and pulled out a book to start reading. I rolled my eyes at her and and sluggishly walked back to my desk. Looks like that connection decided not to show up today.

I would have to get through to her a different way. I took out a sheet of paper and a pencil. On the paper, I simply wrote, 'I love you'. I balled it up and tossed it onto her desk. I knew it was cheesy, but girls seem to like that stuff, so I did it anyway. She just shot me an annoyed glance.

"Just open it." I whispered over to her.

She picked it up and unfolded it. She looked at the paper for a good minute and a half. Her face almost seemed to reflect a hopeful emotion, as she examined the paper. She looked over it one last time, as if trying to make sense of it, but ended up shoving the paper into a random pocket in her backpack. She returned to her book. Guess that didn't work either.

Once lunch came around, I sat with her again. I knew she didn't want me to sit with her, and was probably getting annoyed with my excessive attention, but if I went back to sit with Dallas and the guys, I feel like it would be like turning my back on Ally. And backing out of my promise to fight for her, and give up with them. I wasn't going to give that impression.

I didn't say anything to her, just accompanied her at the table. I saw Dallas and some of the other guys pointing and laughing at me and Ally. I don't care. I couldn't care less about what they thought of me.

Dallas then realized what Ally was wearing. He wasn't making fun of her anymore. He was watching her every move, clearly focusing on the wrong parts of her. It made a fire burn inside me. It felt like a pot of boiling water was about to spill all over my insides. I can hardly even describe it, except for I had never had a feeling like that before.

We were released from lunch and I followed closely behind Ally. Dallas pushed passed me though, and got extremely close to Ally. Basically wrapped around her. The burning fire inside me rekindled.

"Hey babe, where has this Dawson been for the past two years?" He said in a seductive voice.

My hands balled into fists. He grabbed her waist and slowly pushed her to the wall. She didn't seem to be fighting it, but I could tell by her expression, that she wasn't at all happy about it. His lips had just brushed her cheek before I brutally slammed him to the ground. He groaned with pain and I knew for sure that by the way he hit the ground, that his shoulder was clearly broken. Ally looked on with shock and fear as I glared deeply into Dallas' eyes. I almost felt bad for scaring her.

"Dude! What's your freaking problem?" Dallas yelled while cringing in pain.

"You. Don't. Touch. Her." I hissed with pure rage.

He rolled onto his other shoulder and ran off holding his damaged one. I looked back at Ally, who had a tear slipping down her cheek. I walked over, wiped the tear away with my thumb, told her I loved her, and ran out of the school before I got into trouble.

ALLY'S POV

I had walked back into my house after my breakdown. The smell was horrid, and I was trying to ignore that. Not only was the smell of alcohol present, but now the subtle smell of death was also working its way in. I grabbed everything out of that house that belonged to me. I carried it out to the backyard to a place where my dad was always to lazy or drunk to ever visit. The shed.

I opened up the door to the old barn and found only a few yard work tools and things. I pushed them aside and began to make this feel like my own house. Luckily, there was a light switch in there that still worked. I went back and forth between the house and the shed, taking out anything I would need for survival. As far as food goes, I would have to strive on school lunch and fast food.

I fell asleep on the mattress that I had brought in there. I slept until morning and began to get to get ready for school the next day. I decided since I was no longer hiding behind the struggle of life, I needed more confident clothing. I went for a goth type look, because it was mostly all that I could pull off with what I had. Today was going to be an interesting day.

I had arrived at school with lots of noticing glances. It felt kinda good to be noticed, but I mostly was annoyed by it. I sat down in home room with nothing to occupy my time. Since my iPod was gone, I needed something else to keep busy. I ended up just playing with the tips of my hair. Fun.

And here comes Austin. As he walked in the room, his eyes lingered on me for a couple seconds longer than usual. I tried to keep a more confident demeanor about it, instead of looking away. He came and sat it front of me, greeting me. I was officially extremely ticked off at his persistent attention. Had I not made it clear that I wanted to be left alone? I told him one last time that I didn't want to talk to him, and I made sure there was plenty of hatred in my tone. He asked why and I ignored him and pulled out a book that I had almost forgotten about.

Lunch came around and he sat with me again. Luckily, he never said a word, so it didn't bother me that much. It would be more humiliating to sit here alone anyway, so I was kinda thankful for his presence. When we got out of lunch, I knew Austin was following me closely. Personal space much? Then out of nowhere, Dallas came up and took the personal space issue to a whole new level. He starting pushing me towards the wall and I knew where this was going.

I wanted to fight back, but I knew he was stronger than me, and if I tried to, he would probably just make it worse. I stared at the ground, and just waited until it was over. His lips had just touched my cheek, and then he was forcefully thrown to the ground. I looked up to find Austin towering over him, giving him the death glare, and Dallas holding his shoulder and moaning with great pain.

Guess that's twice that Austin has been my 'guardian angel'. Great. Two more reasons for me to make it harder to hate him. They exchanged short and tensed conversation before Dallas rolled over, got up, and ran off. Then Austin came over and wiped away the tear that had managed to fall down my face.

"I love you." He stated once more, then he was gone. Running out of the school.

I decided school wasn't going to work out, and I left to go 'home'. Usually the teachers would give me detention or something, but considering what I've been through recently, they decided to cut me some slack. Which worked to my advantage.

Sitting in my new room was probably going to become very routine-like soon. School might not be the place to go. I tried to fight back against my life, but instead, I got extremely unwanted attention, and more drama. But then I remembered the food aspect. I have nothing here, and I can't afford to buy any food. The school cafeteria was the only place I could eat.

The old shed didn't have any windows or temperature control system. So the temperature of the building reflects the temperature of outside. Today it was fairly cold and foggy outside. Which meant that it was freezing down in the shed. I only had one blanket on my mattress, and I curled up in it as much as possible. I don't know how I'm going to get through in life. I really don't know.

AUSTIN'S POV

After I had ran home to avoid trouble, I thought about the day. Nothing was adding up. Ally was reflecting jumbled emotions and personalities constantly. When I found her in the woods that day, she hugged me and cried to me as if I were the most important thing in the world. Now she doesn't want to even be in my presence. But I catch her every now and then, when she'll talk to me without sounding bitter or mad.

Then today at school, she comes dressed in gothic clothes, trying to portray a whole new image. What was up with that? I will never understand her. Which is something that keeps me even more interested in her.

I had seen her walk home not too long after I did, and she didn't go in her house, she walked around to the backyard. I debated on whether or not to try and talk with her. But instead, I had another idea. I grabbed my old iPod and headphones that I no longer used. Then I made my way over to her house.

I walked up on the front steps of her house and knocked. No reply. I leaned over a little to peek in the window, but saw nothing there either.

"Ally!" I called. "If you can hear me, come here please!" I yelled.

I never heard her say anything, but I heard her coughing from the backyard. I walked around to the back if the house. I saw her sitting in the grass, playing with a few pieces of it. She glanced up in my direction, then sighed, knowing her position had been found.

"I brought something for you. I figured you might want it. You did look pretty bored with that book in first block." I explained, handing her the iPod and headphones.

She took it from my hand and examined it. "Thanks. That book was pretty boring." She said staring at the ground. "And thanks for today at school too." She said very quietly.

"You're welcome. No problem." I said quietly as well.

"Listen, I'm not mad at you or anything right now, I just want to be alone. I have a lot of things on my mind, okay?" She said softly.

"Okay, sure." I said turning around and walking away. "I love you."

I heard her sigh one last time before leaving her yard. I wish she would just say something to me instead of groaning. I was so over this drama. Why can't life be easy?

**And there it is! So Ally's gothic approach wasn't a success. Oh well, and for all you peoples who are mad at Ally for being mean to Austin, I would just like to say, I agree! Why can't she jut accept Austin's kindness?! But it looks like she is slowly giving in, who knows? She might have a change of heart, maybe not...;) hint hint... REVIEW!**


	13. Chapter 13

**So the feedback from you guys is AMAZING! I know I've said that before, but it really is. You guys have no idea how much I appreciate your comments. I decided to get this chapter up today because I won't be able to update again until probably Wednesday. I've been thinking of starting another new story, but I can't think of any ideas. It seems like everything has been taken. Maybe if you guys could offer some suggestions, that'd be great! But we still have a long way to go on this story, and I don't want to worry about posting two stories at once, so you probably won't actually see a new story from me for a while, but I'd like to go ahead and start writing one. Okay, that was like the longest Authors Note ever...so just Read & Review!**

ALLY'S POV

I hadn't been at school for a week. I had been getting my food from sneaking into the school kitchen after lunch hours, and grabbing what I could shove in my sweatshirt pocket. I know that this wasn't good for me, because I was supposed to be eating regularly to help my stomach heal. But it wasn't getting better. The pain in my stomach had been increasing recently. I knew it wasn't good for me to be skipping meals so often, but getting food wasn't easy.

I was walking around on the streets one day with nothing better to do. Being at home was stressing me out, and there wasn't much else to do. So i just walked. Trish happened to also be walking her dog at the time.

"Ally! Hey! Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you in forever!" She squealed with excitement.

"Hey Trish. Yeah, I'm back..." I trailed off, forcing some form of friendliness.

She ran over and hugged me. It kinda hurt because she wasn't aware of my body condition. But I acted like it was okay.

"Why haven't you been at school?" She asked.

"Uh, family issues..." I said, hoping she would understand and leave the subject alone.

"Oh, I'm sorry. But hey, if you need a place to stay, you know where to go okay?" She stated.

No. I didn't know where to go. "Yeah, okay." I lied.

"Alright, see ya later, I gotta get my dog back home." She told me.

I sent a halfhearted smile and wave in her direction, and headed back towards home.

I got back in the shed, and picked up the iPod that Austin gave me. It was really nice of him to let me have it. I turned it on, finding that the wallpaper said, '_I love you' _in big pink mushy letters. He was pathetic. I looked through the songs to find many of the same songs that I like to listen to. I picked one, and put the headphones in my ears.

I decided to clean up 'my room' a little bit. I picked up some clothes, folded them, and put them on a small table. I moved some of the tools aside to make more room. Then I picked up my backpack, but the zipper was open, so everything fell out. I picked up everything and shoved it back in. But something on the floor caught my eye. I picked it up to find that it was the note that Austin threw at me a couple of weeks ago. It said 'I love you' on it.

Seeing and hearing this statement so many times, I was slowly starting to believe it. _'Don't let him in Ally! Do you want him to turn away again?'_, my conscious screamed at me. I smoothed out the piece of paper and laid it on my table with my clothes. I continued to clean up, hoping all this would pass over.

Once I was done, I felt like I was trapped in this tiny little shed. The stresses that I had been keeping inside, were boiling over. The pressures of life were closing in around me again. I needed a place to escape. Somewhere where reality disappeared, and you could just live in a fantasy land. I suddenly had a crazy idea. An absolutely crazy, ridiculous idea.

AUSTIN'S POV

I was once again sitting at home with nothing to do. School was terrible today. Now, people were starting to pick on me, for spending so much time around Ally. She hasn't even been at school. That made it worse for me. I knew something was going on with her, if she wasn't showing up. But I carried on, trying to stay calm, and keep my stress level down.

My mom had been trying to get me to try out for a sport like football or baseball recently, but I wasn't interested. My dad thought I should do wrestling. I'd probably be good at that, but still no interest. My parents just wanted me to do _something_, because they noticed that my personality seemed a little dull lately. I hadn't been out doing as much either. I never really thought anything of it personally, but apparently, it upset my parents.

Usually if I had nothing to do, I'd hang out with Dez, but he moved away a long time ago. His parents got a job in New York, and he had to transfer schools. I haven't talked to him in forever. We used to keep in touch a little, just shortly after he left, but it just became harder to find the time to talk. Dez and I were really close friends. He was my best guy friend growing up. When he moved away, Ally remained my closest friend for a while, then that's when I started hanging around Dallas and them.

Sometimes life just doesn't go the way you want it to. I wish I could just tell my life like a story, that way I could create it myself. Everything would go the way _I_ wanted it to go. My fantasy world. Then it hit me. There has always been a place where life doesn't matter. A place where you create your own world and live in it. The place where you can be a little kid, and nobody cares. I slipped my shoes on and wasted no time traveling to my destination.

**Yeah, yeah, another short chapter, I know and I'm sorry. But I just had to leave you with that cliffhanger! Where do you think they are going? Review and tell me what you think! Shout out to ****_geeksrchic, _****because********I think that you already know where they are going. You must know me so well, or you are at least good at predicting, but don't spoil it! My goal for this chapter is to get at least ten reviews, can you help me reach my goal? See you guys at chapter fourteen! :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay guys, so this isn't a real chapter. It's an Author's Note. I just recently found out that a user named violetcloud14 has been copying this whole story along with only other stories. If you are reading this violetcloud14, I want you to know that what you are doing is highly unappreciated. I am going to report you if you don't stop. I hate to be mean about it, but this really bothers me. If you can't write stories, work on that yourself, don't steal from others. I just wanted to make that known to everyone. Don't support or follow her because she is a thief. Just saying. BTW- the real chapter fourteen is on it's way! :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**So here's the real chapter fourteen. Sorry about that long rant in my Authors note, but it just really irks me. Special thanks to ****_Laraaram_**** and ****_NicoFan-of-Apollo_****, for looking out for me. You guys made me aware of the situation and I'm working on taking care of it, so thanks again. But anyway, back to focusing on this chapter, I guess I'm not that great at suspense because everyone who guessed, pretty much guessed right. :P haha, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! Read and Review! The reviews on the last chapter were sooooo great! I love you guys! :D**

ALLY'S POV

My idea was crazy, but I didn't see any other options at this point. It was the only place that I've always trusted, a place that never let me down. I put shoes on and walked out of the shed. I stepped towards the woods and stared into the distance wondering if I was really going to do this. Yes. Yes, I was.

I started down the all too familiar path into the woods. I've been down this path so many times, I could walk it with my eyes closed. I know it by heart. Before long, I saw what I had came here for. It was old, worn down, and about to fall completely apart. But it was there.

The fort. The place I practically grew up in. My entire childhood basically revolves around this old place. And here it was, holding out after all these years. Time has definitely taken its toll on the place, but it was fighting to keep our memories alive. I didn't even know for sure if it would still be here, standing. But I had hope that someone, or rather something, was still holding out for me.

I stepped closer and slid my hand across the side of the dry, old slab of wood that was making up a wall. My fingers lingered on the places that my hands had touched many years ago. It was like looking into the past. I smiled to myself as the memories came flooding back into my brain. On one of the sides, I saw a carving in the wood. It said '_A&A forever_'. I saw another that read '_Rulers of the Fores_t'. A tear slipped down my cheek, and I didn't even try and stop it from falling.

I walked around to the other side, and found the secret trap door that we created. It was really just a hole dug in the ground, with a board over top of the hole. I lifted the board to reveal a box resting in the hole. I couldn't remember what exactly was in it, so I decided to look. I picked up the box and brushed the dirt off of it. After cleaning it off, I realized that the box belonged to my mom. It was an antique that she received from her grandmother. There were carvings and patterns etched into the wood. My mom had let me have it, so I could one day pass it on to my children and grandchildren.

My heart felt warmer, thinking of my mom and my family, and yet it also felt empty and lonely at the same time. I missed her so much. Not many people know what it's like to lose the most important person in your life. I finally decided to see what was in the box. I clicked open the rusty gold latch on the box, and the lid creaked open. Inside, there were a couple of things. First, there was a letter. It read:

_Dear person who is reading this,  
You have found and opened our secret box. It is very special. If the fort is still here, it belongs to two people. Austin Moon and Ally Dawson. We are best friends. When we wrote this, we were only nine years old, but now, we are probably all grown up. We left this note so someone might find it, and take care of our fort for us, since we are too old. It is really cool and magical. Nothing bad ever happens here, so feel free to visit anytime. There are a few other things in this box that you might find interesting. They are things that were important and useful to us, and we are handing them down, so someone else can continue the adventure and keep the magic alive. Make what you want of it, and DREAM BIG. ~Austin&Ally_

I now remembered the day we wrote this letter. We thought that we needed a way to tell the future generation how to keep our fort in good condition. I folded the letter and set it aside. I continue to look through the contents of the box. I found a smooth, flat rock. I remembered that it was our best water-skipping rock. We would take turns skipping it across the creek, but we would have to go through the water to get it back, because it was too good to lose.

Also in the box, was a collection of arrowheads. We had made these by sharpening rocks. We used them for play, and for carving the phrases into the fort. Lastly, at the bottom of the box, were two rings. They weren't real, they were made of tightly braided grass. One was Austin's, and one was mine. They were both tiny, so that they could fit our toddler size hands. We used them to signify our friendship, and how we were as strong as the grass used to braid the rings together. It was actually really strong grass.

I examined the rings, and more tears fell from my eyes. I put the contents back in the box, back in the hole, and replaced the board to recreate the trap door. Somebody deserved to experience this fort in the future, so I left it looking undisturbed.

Just then, I heard the crunching of leaves. I looked around to see who could possibly be out here, and was shocked to find Austin standing there. Of all the places, he meets me here. That shouldn't even surprise me. He looked just as shocked to see me here, as I was to see him.

"What are you doing here?" We both asked at the same time.

"You first." We said together again.

Even though I didn't particularly want to see him, I giggled. This caused him to chuckle too, and soon, we were both laughing with each other. My mood felt enlightened, like I was a little kid again. Back in the fort, with my best friend. He walked over and accompanied me next to the fort.

"When was the last time we were both here together, huh?" Austin asked after laughing.

"A long time ago." I said, stopping my laughter as well.

"So now, why are you down here?" Austin asked me.

"I don't know." I lied. But I really didn't exactly know why I thought coming down here would help.

"Yeah you do. You and I both know we came here for the same reason." He said knowingly.

"I doubt it." I grumbled.

"To get away from the world? Take a break from it all? Live out your dreams instead of suffering through reality?" He asked rhetorically.

"Okay, so maybe you do know..." I trailed off. I wondered how he knew about all of that.

"Why wouldn't I know? That's the only reason we ever came down here in the first place." He explained.

"I know, it's just,...it's been _so_ long." I said quietly.

"I know. Too long." He said.

We walked into the fort and looked around. We read the stuff on the walls that we had written many years ago. We sat there, just reflecting on the past. It was silent for a long while, but it was comfortable silence.

"Mango?" I questioned, breaking the silence. My conscious scolded me for saying that. He just gave me a confused look.

"That day in the hospital when you brought me a strawberry smoothie, and you told me to guess what flavor yours was. It was mango wasn't it?" I said plainly.

I was doing something that I knew I shouldn't be doing. I was opening up. Letting him in again. But I couldn't help it. I wanted _so_ badly to hate him. But he made it so hard for me to hate him. I know I shouldn't love him, but I do. I love him _so_ much. He's the only one who has ever understood me, other than my mom. He has been there for me. I would be dead right now if it wasn't for him. He is walking around with my heart and he doesn't even know it. He's my everything. He's my savior.

His face broke into a huge smile and he just nodded. "Yeah, it was mango."

I just smiled back and turned my attention back to the walls of the fort. I sat down on the wooden bench and hugged my knees up to my chest, resting my chin on my knees. Austin sat down on the other bench. We talked and laughed about so many things. We relived nearly every memory that took place in this fort. It was almost like magic. I always knew this place had some supernatural force living inside. You could feel it. Bombs could be going off, destroying everything at home right now, but it would still feel bright and peaceful here.

I noticed that the sky was getting dark. I should probably be going home soon. Ugh. Home. Back to reality. Austin must've picked up on the fading light as well, because he said that we should probably go back home. I nodded in agreement and we stood up and walked out of the fort.

"Do you need me to walk you home?" Austin asked.

"No, I'm okay, thanks." I said.

"Alright, bye Ally. I love you." He said gently.

My consciousness starting taking over again since our break from reality was over. My face turned into a frown and I ignored him, turning to head back and face reality. I saw his face drop to a frown also, when I ignored him. Part of me wanted to tell him that I loved him, but the more bitter side of me rejected that option. That side of me had more experience, so it usually won most of my mental battles.

I got back home and went to sleep immediately. I instantly regretted my stubbornness. Why did I have to be so complicated?

AUSTIN'S POV

I had just arrived at the fort to escape for a little while. But I noticed Ally was already there. What are the odds of me and her here together again after so many years? We tried talking and asking questions, but we both kept saying the same thing at the same time. It caused some laughs and eventually we actually talked.

Then she did something totally unexpected. She mentioned a reference to our past. She was opening up to me and talking for once. We hadn't just talked since we were kids. It made me feel like everything was perfect right now.

I was looking back at some of our writings and carvings left in the rotting wood. Some of it was funny. One quote read: '_All hail the Purple Penguin Prince_'. I don't even remember what that was supposed to mean. But hey, we were little kids. We had creative imaginations.

Ally and I talked and laughed about so much. I never thought she would open up like this to me again. But here we are, reminiscing about our entire childhood. The magic in this fort is helping me now, just like it did about nine years ago.

It was getting dark, and I reluctantly suggested that we probably should get going. She nodded in agreement and we stood to leave.

"I love you." I said, as we were saying our goodbyes.

I was actually hoping to get some sort of response from her this time, but I was wrong. Her smile faded to a frown and she ignored me and walked off. It really made me upset that we sat here and talked and laughed for hours, and then she'll go right back to ignoring me. I thought she was mad about our past before, but she seemed to have no problem with it tonight. I let it go for now, and went home. I crawled into bed and drifted into sleep immediately.

My dreams took over and I was back in the fort. With Ally. We were six years old and having fun pretending to be king and queen. But then a dark shadowy figure took her away from me. It sucked her into a dark black cloud and she screamed and cried for me to help. But I could only watch, as my six year old body was powerless.

I whispered one last 'I love you' to her before she vanished. But after I said this, the darkness filled her eyes until they were pools of solid black. She grew ten years older to her current age and she was absolutely soulless. She scoffed at me and it echoed throughout the woods in a low rumble. She turned away in ignorance just as she does in reality. Then she was gone.

I woke up very startled from my nightmare. I looked at the clock. It was only 1:00 am. I walked downstairs to the kitchen to get some water. I then walked back up to my room for more sleep. I drifted back off, without nightmares this time. I slowly dreaded going back to school tomorrow.

**So are things working out for them or not? Ally is conflicted an Austin is getting a little upset. Could this lead to more problems and drama, or bring them closer together? Stay tuned to find out! Don't forget to review! :D**


	16. Chapter 16

**OMG! 100 reviews?! You guys are seriously AMAZING! I also gained SO many new followers and favorites! Thank you SOOOOOO much! Well here's the next chapter and I hope you love it just as much! Read & Review! :D**

ALLY'S POV

I pulled myself up off my mattress. The springs and wires in this thing were starting to hurt my back and neck. But I had to get up and go to school. Wait, no I didn't. But how will I eat? Maybe I could transfer schools and just start over. Oh yeah, I have nobody to take me anywhere. Instead, I just decided to try and have a good day. I wasn't going to go to school.

I grabbed an old lounge chair that was lying up against the walls of the shed. I also grabbed a pillow and my iPod with some headphones. I changed into clothes suitable for the outdoors, and made my way across the street, and up the hill behind Austin's house. On top of that hill, you could see the whole neighborhood, and the school. You also got a great view of the scenery behind the woods.

I set up the chair in a position where I could see everything perfectly. I made sure to pick a nice, relaxing spot in the sun. I sat down, put my headphones in, and closed my eyes in relaxation. Today was going to be a good day. Wow, that thought hasn't passed my mind in a while.

It made me think of the beach. I have only been there once. I was four, and my family went with Austin's family. It wasn't a very clear memory of the beach, but ever since then, I've wanted to go back. It was relaxing, and it was one of those times before everything fell apart, which automatically made it a better memory. My mom would help me find seashells. My dad would take me out to play in the ocean. Austin would build sand castles with me. All of it was just fun.

I ended up sleeping, thinking, relaxing, and reminiscing, all at once. Surprisingly, I didn't wake up again until about four in the afternoon. I looked out over the hill to see a lot of people gathering at the football stadium behind the school. I remembered that the last game of the season was tonight. Everyone was going to be there having a good time. I decided that since I was trying to have a good day, I might as well go and watch. Sure, I might come across people I don't necessarily want to socialize with, but I'm not going to let that stop me from having a good day.

I took my stuff back home and headed back out to the school. Hey, at least I might be able to get a decent meal. I got to the front gate and tried to walk in when a security guard stopped me.

"If you don't pay, you can't enter ma'am." He said stubbornly.

"Really? But I go to this school, I actually have to pay to get in?" I asked.

"Yes ma'am. The entry fee is only five dollars." He stated.

"Oh. Well I don't have any money. I just want to watch the game. Please let me in..." I begged, hoping to pull off the desperate girl act. It didn't work.

"Don't worry, I'll pay for her." Said a voice from right inside the gate.

I looked to see who had offered to pay my entry fee. It was Nathan, one of the popular guys that usually hangs out with Austin. I was confused at why he decided to pay for me. There's actually something about us that not many people know. Around the beginning of sixth grade, we actually dated for about a couple months. Well, we were only like eleven years old, so it wasn't a big deal, but we used to be friends. I just don't understand why he would pay for me, considering it has been that long since we socialized.

"Uh, thanks." I said shyly.

"No problem." Said Nathan. "I didn't know that you usually came to these games."

"Oh, I don't. But I just decided that since this was the last game, I might as well show up." I explained to him.

"Oh, well that's cool. The last game is usually the best one to come to anyway. It can get really intense." Nathan told me.

"Why did you pay for me?" I asked straight up.

"Well, we used to be friends right? And five dollars isn't a big deal, everyone deserves to come to the game." He said nervously.

"Oh, well thanks." I said again.

"Well what are we waiting for? Lets go watch the game!" Nathan suggested.

I walked into the stadium and saw many familiar faces. Some old friends. Some old enemies. Some new enemies. Mostly a bunch of people I really didn't want to see. And then of course, Austin's face stood out among the crowd. I wanted to see him, but at the same time, I didn't. I didn't want to see him, because I didn't want to keep letting him in. That was a dangerous thing to do. I would have my heart broken again. I don't think I could deal with it a second time. I would have to give up after that.

Luckily, I don't think he saw me, and Nathan walked me over to where he was sitting. I didn't really want to sit with him, but I figured it was better to sit with someone, rather than sit alone and get bullied. We sat down as the game began. I was actually pretty interested throughout the game.

At halftime, Nathan offered to buy me some snacks. I agreed, only because I was hungry and had no money. We walked under the stands to the concessions. I ended up getting nachos and a coke.

"I'll be right back. I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Kay?" He said.

I just nodded and slowly started making my way through the crowd, trying not to drop my food. As if on cue, someone bumped into me and I dropped my coke. I looked up in annoyance, about to yell at whoever bumped me. But I stopped in my tracks when I saw that it was Austin. It seems like fate is always trying to get us together, just to tear me apart.

"Hey, didn't expect to see you here." Austin smiled.

"Well, here I am." I said flatly, avoiding eye contact.

"I didn't think you liked football." He said.

"Well, I wanted to come and watch. Is there a problem with that?" I asked bitterly, trying hard to convince myself that he wasn't worth my time.

"No, I was just asking." He said apologetically.

"I'm going back to my seat. I just want to eat my nachos. I wanted a coke too, but it doesn't look like that's happening." I said, noticeably eyeing the spilled drink on the ground.

"Here, take mine. Sorry about that." He said offering me his coke. I just gave a disgusted look. My eyes met his for the first time in this conversation, and my anger was starting to be replaced with a different emotion.

"I haven't drank out of it. I swear." He said honestly. Words and thoughts were jumbled up in mind at the moment, and I couldn't form an answer. Why did his eyes have to be so distracting?

I just yanked the cup out of his hands and walked off. I headed back up to my seat and tried to refocus on the game. Nathan still hadn't returned. Maybe he thought I wasn't worth coming back to. Whatever. I could care less about him. I was having another mental battle. I wanted so desperately to go running back to Austin. But I was forcing myself to think that that was the wrong idea.

I eventually gave up with myself and got up to leave the game. This was supposed to be a good day, and I was just stressing myself out. I came across Nathan as I was leaving.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked.

"Where have you _been_?" I asked trying to blame it on him.

"I went to go tell my friends about you. I think you should meet them. I think you're really cool, they should see that too." He explained, truthfulness not anywhere evident in his tone.

How big of a load of crap was he trying to sell to me? Because I wasn't buying it.

"Thanks, but no thanks." I said sarcastically. "I'm going home."

"Wait! I wasn't joking! I'm serious!" He yelled after me as I walked away.

I ignored him and walked back home. I got to the shed and changed into sweats. I flopped on my springy mattress. I had so much stress, that it was ridiculous.

Basically, this continued for about three months. I would keep everyone out of my life. But in the third month, Austin had stopped talking to me completely. It was really strange. Things went back to the way they were in eighth grade. No passing glance. I was okay with it at first, but then I realized how much I missed his attention. Then, I decided to change things up.

AUSTIN'S POV

After school today, a couple of people invited me to go to the football game that was tonight. I would much rather stay home, in hopes of having Ally talk to me, but figured that that probably wasn't going to happen. So I agreed to go.

I had a couple decent friends I could hang out with. Definitely not Dallas, Zack, or Nathan, but maybe some other guys. I went to the game and actually had a good time. The football game was really intense, and it was a good game.

Then I went to go get some snacks and bumped into Ally. _Ally_. Of all places, I never thought I would see her here. We had a small conversation, but mostly, she was just angry at me for spilling her coke. I gave her mine, and we went our separate ways to watch the game.

I didn't see her for the rest of the game. I got up to leave when the game was over. Our school ended up winning, so everyone was cheering and excited. When I got home, I laid in bed and thought about me and Ally.

I don't have the time to tell you every detail, but basically, for two more months, Ally and I went on the way we usually do. Everyday, I would make sure that she knew I loved her. _Every_. _Day._ All she did every time was ignore me. I had finally had enough. Why am I even trying so hard to get her attention? Time separated us, and I can't mess with the laws of time. It's time for me to move on. I tried to fight for her, but she won. She gets what she wants, because I'm done trying.

**Oh no! Austin, don't give up! You can't! Ally needs somebody! But what is Ally planning? And how is Nathan getting involved? Find out this and more in the next chapter! Stay tuned and don't forget to Review! :D**


	17. Chapter 17

**I am still trying to get over the fact that I have more than 100 reviews! I know it may not seem like a whole lot to most people, but it really means a lot to me. I love how you guys are involved and interested in my story! Keep it up! You guys seem to be getting really connected with the characters and I love that! Lets see what you think of this chapter! Read & Review! :D**

ALLY'S POV

Like I said before, I was about to change things up. Turn the tables. It had been an entire month since Austin had even acknowledged my existence. I missed his attention. I missed him in general. I was so in love with him, that I was nearly sick. I knew it from the start, but it felt wrong to love someone.

The switch in my mind that controlled my emotions had switched from bitterness to kindness. I was ready to stop shutting everyone out. Maybe that's why I was so miserable all the time. I was so ready to let go, but I had to think of why I was still hanging on. Austin was that reason. If it wasn't for him, I would've let go a long time ago.

I needed a way to communicate with Austin. I couldn't just walk up to him and say something. Well, I could, but that'd be weird. I looked at the table next to my mattress and had a clever idea. I saw the paper that was on that table. The one from a few months ago. The one Austin threw at me that said 'I love you' on it. I decided to just get straight to the point.

I picked it up and grabbed a pencil. On it, I wrote, 'I love you too'. I walked out and went across the street to Austin's. He was at school right now, and his parents worked all day, so I knew nobody was home. I folded up the slip of paper and stuck it in the handle of the front door. He would probably be home in about half an hour or so. I walked back to my house and waited for his arrival, anxious to see his reaction. After around forty five minutes or so, I finally saw him walking over the hill to come home.

He made it to his front door and noticed the paper as it fell down. He bent down to pick it up, and unfolded it. He stared at it for a few minutes, as if figuring it out. Then he looked over at my house. He couldn't see me, but he gave a look that showed he didn't believe it. He crumpled the paper and threw it off to the side in the front yard. He shook his head disapprovingly as he walked in the house.

My heart felt shattered. The pain returned and tears flooded out of my eyes before I could stop them. I knew I shouldn't have done this! He said he loved me, but as soon as I let him in, he turns away from me! I knew this would happen! Why couldn't I have just trusted my gut and stuck with it?

I thought if I did this, if I opened up, things would be better! That's what he wanted before! That's what he was trying to get me to do! And now here I am, heartbroken and alone.

AUSTIN'S POV

It had been a month since I had talked to Ally. I still loved her without a doubt, but I was done trying to fight for her. She obviously didn't want me or my attention, so I simply gave up. It made me so mad that she would shut me out. How hard was it to say hi? Or talk about the day? Or just be friends? Point is, there isn't an '_us_', and there probably never will be.

I slugged myself into school that morning. Even though I hadn't talked to Ally in a month, it was still hard for me to sit here and deal with it. I wanted so much for us to go back to our ways as best friends, or more. I thought she was ready to take that step again in the fort a few months ago. But I guess it was just the magic of the fort making me believe that it was real. That place is a fantasy land, not real life.

I kept telling myself to just get over her. If I kept on trying, it would be harder to let go down the road. It was better to get off the love drug now, before I was addicted.

School was long, slow, and boring. I walked back home, just ready for some sleep. I got to the front door, and right as I turned the handle, a note slipped out. I picked it up and unfolded it. First, I saw my writing on it. It was the 'I love you' note that I had given to Ally a long time ago. Then underneath my writing, was someone else's that said 'I love you too'.

I may have had one glimpse of hope for a second that she really loved me back. But I knew that was ridiculous. Someone doesn't just shut you out and hate your guts, then a month later decide that they love you. It doesn't work that way.

Was this some kind of sick _joke_? Here I was trying to get over her, and she's mocking me or something? I looked towards the direction of Ally's house. I didn't see anyone there, but I shook my head disapprovingly and balled up the note and threw it aside. I went into the house an slammed the door. My mom yelled at me.

"Austin! Don't slam the door! How many times have I told you that?" She scolded.

I ignored her question, which was probably meant to be left unanswered anyway, and went up to my room. It was crazy how this one girl has caused me so much happiness, yet so much stress and depression, at the same time. I laid there in my bed, staring at the ceiling. Then, out of nowhere, I realized how completely stupid I was being.

**I know it short! Sorry again! But the next chapter is **_**really**_** long, so that will make up for it. Ally tried, and Austin didn't want anything to do with it. But now he is feeling stupid? What do you think will happen? Don't hesitate to tell me! See ya at chapter eighteen! :D**


	18. Chapter 18

**This is the chapter you've been waiting for! Maybe it is, the next chapter has got some juicy stuff too. Sorry if the summary confused anybody, I changed it just a tiny bit. I don't think it should bother anyone, but if it did, my apologies. The feedback was SO amazing for the last chapter, i went ahead and posted this one today! Anyways, Read and Review! :D**

AUSTIN'S POV

I jerked up out of my bed and came to my senses. I was being absolutely stupid. Didn't I promise to fight for her? Didn't I promise to be there for her? Didn't I tell her that I loved her? Yes. Yes. And yes. And I do not break my promises. I wasn't going to ignore her anymore. But I wasn't going to be so pathetic to her again either. I figured it would be better to wait for her to come to me though. Then if she wanted to talk, I'd definitely talk to her.

It was a nice day outside, so I decided to relax in my front yard. I brought my favorite lounge chair and set it up. I laid down in the chair and watched the sky. It reminded me of the beauty I saw in the woods that one day. That was a seemingly perfect day, and the scenery matched it exactly. Though, what was actually going on at the time, wasn't so perfect.

I wish I could show Ally how pretty that spot was. She wasn't aware of it when we were there the first time. I wish she could see how beautiful she was to me that day as well. She still is. My mom ruined my daydream by telling me that I had chores to get done.

"Austin! Stop being so lazy! If you need something to do, mow the grass! I've been telling you to get that done for weeks now!" She nagged.

"Ugh! Mom, do I have to?" I groaned.

"Yes. Now get up and do it before it gets dark outside." She instructed me, even though it wasn't even that late. It was about four in the afternoon.

I walked around to the back of the house and went into the shed to get the lawnmower. Unfortunately, there was no gas left in the ride mower, so I had to get the push mower. Great, more work. I reluctantly started mowing the lawn.

About twenty minutes in, I saw someone at Ally's house. Ally walked out from the back of the house with a smile on her face. It wasn't until now that I saw that the person at her house was Nathan. They greeted each other and he hugged her. I felt my heart get ripped into shreds. They walked to his car, got in, and drove away.

I immediately turned off the mower and jumped into my car without even thinking about it. At this point, I didn't care if I got in trouble with my mom. Because I know Nathan. And I know that he isn't who he seems to be. People might think that he is someone who cares, and is a nice guy, but he is nothing but a player. He has practically dated every girl in school and has tried to get his hands on Ally for who knows how long. Ally wouldn't know this because she was never at school, even when she was, she tuned out of everything. I used to be friends with Nathan, but I realized that he only cares about getting laid. And I didn't want Ally anywhere near him.

I had caught up to them in my car, but I stayed back a little because I didn't want them to know that I was following them. I saw them pull into a restaurant. I parked in the parking lot a few spaces down and waited there. I debated on whether or not I should go in, but decided to just wait outside.

It was almost an hour, and they finally came out of the restaurant. He hugged her again, though Ally didn't seem to thrilled about it this time. I could see his hands trailing downwards on her back, farther than they should be. Just as I was about to step out there, Ally stepped away casually, getting out of the situation nonchalantly. She just smiled as if there wasn't a problem and got in the car. He brushed it off and got in the car as well.

I continued to follow them to see where they were going. We drove for about twenty minutes until we were in the city. He stopped at a club, which was clearly a hotspot for people to get drunk and hook up with someone. I could see him coaxing her to go in, and Ally was noticeably refusing. She was walking away to the bus stop, then that's when he laid a hand on her.

He grabbed her shoulder roughly, and jerked her back towards his direction. She started yelling at him to let go, and continued to try and pull away. He only jerked her harder and began to get very hostile. I had seen enough. I stepped out of my car and proceeded to walk over. Then I saw him slap her right across the face and he was dragging her by her hair into the building. That's when I started running.

I jerked Nathan off of Ally by his shirt collar. I pinned him against the side of the building, in a chokehold, and looked him dead in the eye.

"What the _hell_ do you think you are doing?" I said in a deep, deadly voice.

"Austin? What are you doing here? I thought we were friends?" He said, trying to sound calm, but his voice cracked with fear.

"We are _NOT_ friends. I'm here because I know who you are, and I don't want you anywhere near Ally." I hissed through gritted teeth.

He just gave a look of fear as he realized that I knew what he was up to. It took every ounce of willpower I had, to not kill this guy right here and now.

"Dude I...I didn't mean..." He stuttered.

"You keep your hands off of her, and I'll keep my hands off you, got it?" I asked bitterly.

He nodded repeatedly. Then I punched him square in the jaw as hard as possible, causing blood to drip from his mouth. I may have possibly just broke a few fingers, but oh well. He deserved it.

"That's for Ally." I said as he got up and into his car, driving away rapidly.  
I directed my attention back to Ally, who was sitting on the bench next to the street. She was holding her hand to her face while crying. I walked over and sat down next to her.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked, my voice toned down and more concerned now.

She nodded shakily as she still stared at the ground. I grabbed the hand that was being held to her face and wrapped it in my own. I turned her head towards mine and looked into her eyes with as much concern as possible. I put my other hand on her cheek where a welt had formed across her face. I gently rubbed my fingers over the mark, hoping to soothe her and ease the pain.

A tear slipped out of her eye and rolled down over my finger. She sniffed and her breathing became choppy again. I wasted no time wrapping my arm around her shoulder, and pulled her into my chest. She gave up trying to hold back the tears and let herself cry into my chest. People walking by gave us some strange looks, but I could care less.

I ended up carrying her to my car, and I sat her down in the passenger seat. I walked around to my side and got in as well. Her sniffling had finally ceased and she stared at her feet with red, puffy eyes.

"I'm sorry about Nathan. He's a total jerk. He always seems like a nice guy at first, but he's just a player." I explained.

"No, it's okay. It wasn't your fault." She finally said in a small voice.

"He doesn't deserve you. You're amazing, and he's not smart enough to see that." I said.

She didn't reply, just gave a small smile, returning her gaze to her feet.

"You know I still love you, right?" I said, hopefully brightening the mood.

She turned her head to look at me with a hint of hope in her eyes, then turned back to a sad expression. "Sure didn't seem like it yesterday." She muttered.

I remembered the note that was left in my door, and my over-dramatic reaction. "Why did you do that?" I asked seriously.

"Isn't it obvious?" She said in a knowing tone.

"But..but why? Why an all of a sudden, random change of heart?" I tried to figure out.

"It was never a change of heart, it was a confession." She admitted.

"Then why did you ignore me for so long? Why did you keep shutting me out?!" I asked, my voice rising in agitation now.

"Because, I...I just can't talk about it. I just wanted to be alone." She said.

"See? There you go again! The,_'I can't talk about it_' phrase! All I want is for you to talk to me, and tell me what's going on! I would never think less of you because of anything you would say to me!" I yelled.

"Why do you have to know?! What if its none of your business?! Can't you understand that?!" She yelled, getting upset now too.

"But we were best friends! We told each other everything! You can still tell me anything! That's all I want! I want you to trust me enough to talk about anything! I just want to be there for you!" I yelled, hoping she would understand my point of view.

"Okay! So you wanna know _everything_?! Alright! Well how about this! My mom is dead! My dad died a few months ago from drinking too much! Everybody bullies me! I can't even live in my own home without throwing up! Everything I have is gone and I've been left with nothing! And my life is absolutely miserable! Is that good enough for you?! Do you know enough now?! Does that make you feel better?!" She screamed as more tears fell from her eyes.

She got out of my car and slammed the door, walking off down the street.  
I immediately felt extremely guilty about everything. I had no idea that was the situation with her. I felt so, so bad. I hopped out of the car and jogged after her.

"Ally! Wait! I didn't know, I'm sorry!" I yelled from behind her.

She stopped walking and turned on her heels to face me. Her look was a mixture of sadness and hatred.

"You didn't know, did you? You never knew. Nobody ever did. And that's why they didn't care." She said in a sarcastic, bitter tone.

"Ally, I'm so sorry. I had no idea things were like that. But I just wanted to be there for you, and comfort you. If you haven't been aware, I love you more than life itself. I know that sounds cheesy and cliche, but it's true. And I wanted us to have that unbreakable bond that we had when we were kids. I may not have _always_ been there for you when you needed someone, but a day hasn't passed that I don't think about you. You've been the only true friend I've ever had. Those people at school are jerks. I knew that from the start. I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to hang out with them. I never meant to leave you in the past. I decided to stop being stupid and try to win you back, but I was still being selfish by trying to keep you for myself. But I can't even stress to you how much I'm sorry, and how much I love you." I confessed, explaining everything. Her face changed from her previous bitter expression, to a happier one, as I explained to her.

"Austin, you have no idea how much that means to me. I loved that you were trying so hard to be there for me. I just wasn't ready to accept it yet, because everything in my life has been taken away from me. And I didn't want to get attached to something that I would have to give up on. But that doesn't mean I didn't appreciate what you were trying to do. Everyone has always been nothing but mean to me, then you come around and strive to make sure I was always okay. I just didn't know if I believed it or not. That day in the woods, I was out there to kill myself. I thought it was a good idea at the time. Because I had nothing left. But I kept praying that someone cared enough about me to save me. That's when you showed up. I was beyond relieved that my prayers had been answered. And that it was you. And then that day in the old fort, that was the first time in so long that I had felt free and genuinely happy. If you haven't been aware, I love you too." Ally confessed, mimicking my tone on the last part.

She has absolutely no idea how long I've wanted to hear those words come out of her mouth.

**Well there it is! Ally finally admits it to him! But how is Austin going to react? Find out in chapter nineteen! Do you guys think I can make it to 135 reviews? Help me reach my goal! Here's a little motivation, I'll give you a sneak peek into the next chapter. If i reach my goal, I'll start giving sneak peeks on every chapter! Here goes:**

_He stood in shock for a moment, then his eyes twinkled with so much excitement, and his smile grew so wide, that it was honestly adorable. His hazel eyes locked with mine, and I saw many emotions swimming through his eyes. Time stood still in this very moment. I knew his eyes were distracting, but that was nothing compared to how they looked now. I could read every emotion through his eyes, and I knew this was real. Words weren't neccesary, beacuse we knew each other too well. This mutual connection between us was growing stronger, and I could feel it._

**So I know that's not a lot, but I don't want to give away too much! It's just a little sneak peek for motivation! Remember, 135 reviews. That's fifteen more for this chapter. Let's try to reach the goal! :D**


	19. Chapter 19

**You guys are great! I got more reviews than I asked for, which means I'm gonna keep doing sneak peeks! You guys really seemed to like the last chapter now that Auslly has finally made an appearance. This chapter should have lots of Auslly too! Read and Review!**

ALLY'S POV

I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to go out with Nathan. I was so upset about Austin's rejection, I guess I just decided it would be a good idea. Nathan had been begging me to go out with him anyway, although I don't know why, so I might as well kill two birds with one stone.

I finally decided to go through with my pointless plan to go out with Nathan. I called him to tell him the news and he seemed very shocked, yet excited.

"Hey Nathan," I said through the phone.

"Ally? Hey what's up?" He answered.

"I was just wondering if I could still take you up on that offer? You know, the dating one?" I asked with forced hopefulness.

"Really? I..I mean yeah, that'd be cool." He said, trying to sound collected about it.

"Well how about today? I'm not doing anything, I'm actually kind of bored. I could use some time out." I told him.

"Sure! I'll be right over if you're ready. You live on that dead end street right beside the school right?" He asked.

"Yep. The house on the left. That's me. I'm ready whenever you are, so I'll be waiting." I said, still trying to sound enthused.

"Kay, I'll be there in fifteen minutes." He said certainly. And with that, the phone call ended.

I sighed with discontentment after I hung up. This was a stupid idea. Why would dating some guy I have no trace of desire for, help me get over Austin? I got ready anyway, and tried to look presentable. I found one of my old floral shirts and a pair of skinny jeans. I had a pair of sandals that I decide to wear too. I curled my hair and used very light makeup. For someone who could care less about her date, I thought I looked pretty decent.

I needed to wait outside, because I didn't want Nathan walking up to the front door. You could smell awful things from the front yard, and there was no need to get closer. He was taking longer than the predicted fifteen minutes, but honestly, I didn't care. After a while though, he did show up. And may I say, even though I had no interest in him, he drives one heck of a sports car. I got up and walked over to him, trying to look enthusiastic about the date. Although, I think my amusement at his car was handling that quite nicely.

"Hey Ally!" He said cheerily, opening his arms for a welcome hug.

I usually wasn't one to be a hugger, but I did anyway. "Hey Nathan! Uh, you ready to go?" I asked, hoping to push things along and get this date over with.

"Yeah sure, lets go!" He said getting into the car. We drove for a little while, and then we arrived at a diner downtown. We walked in and got our table. I was just trying to decide what to eat, while he was nosing in my personal life.

"So, are your parents home often?" He asked. What was with him?

"Uh, no?" I answered, obviously showing him that it was an unnecessary question. We had our food, and the personal questions still hadn't stopped.

"How many boyfriends have you had?" He asked. Seriously?

"Sorry, but that's personal. Why do you care?" I asked rudely.

"Oh, I just wanna know what I'm getting myself into." He said plainly. "Literally." He mumbled under his breath.

He did _not_ just say that. I rolled my eyes, and scoffed in disgust. "I'm ready to go now."

"Okay, uh check please!" He called to the waitress. Fortunately, we did get to eat some of our food before we left. We walked out of the restaurant. "Thanks for letting me take ya out. What do ya say we go somewhere else?"

It took me a minute to think about it. Did I really want to go somewhere else with him? No, I didn't. But the heartache for Austin came back and I answered dishonestly. "Yeah sure why not."

"Great! You rock." He said, wrapping me up in another hug. One of his hands went too far south, and I backed out. I smiled, giving the notion that nothing was wrong, and casually walked over to my side of the car. As soon as we started driving into the city, I knew I was going to regret agreeing to this.

We finally arrived at a club. Yep. Definitely regretting this. There was no way I was going in that building. All people do in there is get drunk, make out with some random person, take them home and 'have fun', then regret everything in the morning. Not my kind of place. He insisted that I go in though. I kept refusing but he wouldn't stop. I proceeded to walk away, then things got personal.

He grabbed my arm and jerked me back. I could feel his fingers digging into my skin. I tried to fight back, but he slapped me straight across the face. Hard. I winced in pain and let out a small shriek, turning downwards holding my hand to my cheek. Tears stained my face as the pain increased. He grabbed a handful of my hair and started jerking me towards the building. But then someone had Nathan. His grip on my hair was released, forcefully, and I figured it was a random bystander that knew Nathan was up to no good.

Before I even got the chance to look at my savior, I knew the voice. It was Austin. I wouldn't have recognized his voice if it hadn't been for that run-in with Dallas a while back. That had been the only time I had ever heard him sound so, menacing. Scary. Dark. Evil. So unlike himself. He spoke his words so deeply and rumbly, that it sounded as if the devil himself were living inside Austin, threatening to show himself. It gave me chills just to hear it, because the sound itself reverberated inside of me. It scared me, yet it made me feel safer at the same time. I wondered why and how he was here, and a bunch of other questions jumbled up in my mind.

I saw Nathan drive away in his car with a bloody, swollen jaw. Then Austin came over to me. He was so deeply concerned with my well-being that it almost made me blush. It's not like he'd see it anyway, because my face was already red from crying and getting smacked. It shocked me how quickly he could go from resembling the devil, to a person who was sweet and caring.

We ended up talking and crying, and talking more. We sat in his car having a normal conversation. Then the conversation became a heated argument. We yelled and screamed at each other. I had walked away from the car after giving him an update on my depressing life story. He followed me out of the car and apologized. He gave me a speech about why he loved me. I, in return, gave a speech about why I had acted the way I did. I used his same phrase from just moments ago, to tell him that I loved him too.

He stood in shock for a moment, then his eyes twinkled with so much excitement, and his smile grew so wide, that it was honestly adorable. His hazel eyes locked with mine, and I saw many emotions swimming through his eyes. I knew his eyes were distracting, but that was nothing compared to how they looked now. I could read every emotion through his eyes, and I knew that this was real. Words weren't necessary, because we knew each other too well. This mutual connection between us was growing stronger, and I could feel it.

His smile faltered, and his eyes asked the question, because he couldn't form the words to speak. I answered with a smile as he stepped closer to me. My heartbeat sped up to a pattern that probably wasn't healthy when his hand rested on my waist, as he gently pulled me closer. His forehead rested against mine as he gave me one last chance to back out. The hazel pools of color in his eyes were glowing with a passion of pure happiness, and I knew I wasn't going anywhere. The fact that he wasn't driven by lust or hormones, but the simple fact of love and compassion, was something that made me feel like the most special person on the planet.

My hands were resting on his chest, feeling the rise and fall as he breathed deeply. Finally giving into everything, I gave the sign that I wasn't going to back out, and let one of my hands travel up to the back of his neck. My conscious was yelling at me to stop, everything inside me was telling me that this was wrong. But for once, I wasn't going to listen to myself. About ninety percent of my conscious was the bitter side. This time, I was listening to that other ten percent. Hopefully, 'good side' wasn't gonna blow her chance. Austin smiled one last time before leaning down and finally capturing my lips with his own.

The shock that surged through my body, was something like I've never felt before. My other hand naturally went up around his neck, as I tangled his blonde mess of hair through my fingers. Secretly, I've wanted to know how soft his hair is since I was little. It always looked so soft, and it was tempting to just pet his head. And no, I don't care how weird that sounds. I let myself get as close to him as possible, feeling the rapid pounding of his heart against my own. His hands, resting at my lower back, were gently tugging me even closer, if that were even possible.

I had never actually dreamed of this moment, except for maybe when I was really young, but it was taking me to a high that I never thought I could reach. I decided I should probably give my good side a little more credit. He pulled away for a breath, and let his forehead lean against mine once more. My entire body was rushing with tingles, so much in fact, I was almost nervous that he might be able to feel it. But I knew that was ridiculous. My heart was beating so fast, that I was pretty sure it was probably just vibrating at this point. I felt numb, and that I might actually fall. Austin must've picked up on that sense, because he tightened his grip on my waist.

Every negative thought I had ever had, escaped me in that moment. No thoughts of death, depression, or pain. Nothing but absolute contentment. Austin gave a breathy laugh, as he stood back to gaze into my eyes.

"That,...was _amazing_." He breathed.

I giggled, as I let my eyes fall back to the ground out of habit. "Yeah, it was." I said shyly.

"How do you do that?" He asked with a smile.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"How do you make me feel like that? You make me feel like I'm floating on cloud nine, or flying over top of the world. You took me to a place that I didn't even know existed. My heart stopped, but it felt _so_ good. It was the craziest thing, and I'll never be able to get enough of it." He explained, not letting his eyes stray from mine once.

I knew I was blushing at this point, but I didn't even care. I knew exactly what he meant, because I felt the same way. I couldn't put into words how I felt, but he just about matched it perfectly. "Ditto." I managed to say.

He laughed as he took my hand in his, and we walked back to his car. I had totally forgot that we were still outside the club in the city. People probably thought we were a couple of drunk teenagers that had just left the club. Oh well. I was so happy, that I didn't even care. Apparently Austin was gonna take me somewhere. But there was nowhere we could go that was better than the place we just went.

AUSTIN'S POV

That moment when Ally told me she loved me too, I could hardly contain myself. I looked into her perfect brown eyes and begged the question I couldn't make myself ask. She only smiled, and my heart skipped a beat as I moved closer. I gave her a final chance to stop, because I didn't want to pressure her. Luckily she showed signs of proceeding, and I was glad, because I honestly don't think I could've stopped.

My hands rested on her waist, and I noticed that her hip bones were still ever so slightly pointed out from months ago. Her hand slid to the back of my neck, sending chills to rush over my skin. It made me think of how easily her touch sent me to the moon and back. I was so in love with this girl, I don't even think my heart had enough room for it. This caused me to smile one last time before doing what I had dreamed of for so long.

Her lips were soft and warm against mine. It felt like electricity was running through me instead of blood, and I might as well have gotten struck by lightning right there on the spot. My hands moved to fit the curve of her body perfectly. Even though I remembered that this technically wasn't our first kiss, a million kisses couldn't add up to this one. Everything in the moment just felt so right, so perfect, that it made the experience a hundred times better.

I had to let go of that amazing feeling, or I was going to pass out. Because I was out of breath. _Breathtaking_. That's the first word that popped into my head, as I thought of her.

I made sure I told her how amazing that was. She agreed with me and I walked her back to my car. I was going to take her on a great first date. Oh wait, we're not actually dating yet. Better get that on the top of my to-do list. But I don't think she'll need a whole lot of convincing at this point.

**Okay, sorry that a lot of that was a repeat of the last chapter, but I wanted to tell it from Ally's POV too. But hey, we got the big kiss! What did you think about that? Auslly is here, and hopefully it's here to stay. Alright, here's your sneak peek for chapter 20:**

_Somewhere in the conversation we had out there, I suggested living on our own somewhere else. I have no idea where that suggestion came from, but once I said it, I didn't regret it. I could picture it so perfectly, both of us living happily ever after. But after thinking, I realized that it was totally ridiculous. My parents would never let me move out at age seventeen, with a girl, or at all, and I could never come up with the money needed to buy a house. But I promised to get Ally out of that house, because both of us knew how awful it was. And I don't break my promises. _

**What do you say, can we make it to 150 reviews? That's only ten more, I think you guys can do that. Help me reach the goal again! Chapter twenty is on its way! See you there! :D**


	20. Chapter 20

**Okay guys, I'm back with chapter twenty! I finished writing the story and I have already started my new story. It's turning out really well and I will post a little more about that one once I finish with this. I'm still EXTREMELY thankful for all your reviews! I hope i can get to 200 reviews by the end of the story! Keep reading and reviewing! :D**

ALLY'S POV

We kept on driving for a while as Austin took me to an unknown location. At this point, it wouldn't even matter if he took me to the city dump, cause I'd probably still be happier than ever. There was a silence in the car, though it wasn't necessarily awkward, just there. Nevertheless, Austin reached to turn the radio on anyway. When his hand reached out to click it on though, his hand was shaking. As if he were nervous. I giggled quietly, knowing that I probably had something to do with it.

"What?" He smiled, looking over at me.

"Nothing, keep your eyes on the road." I laughed again.

He rolled his eyes at me, and continued to drive. After another ten or fifteen minutes, he pulled off on a dirt road in the woods. We drove a few more feet, then he stopped and got out of the car. I was a little confused at why we would be at the woods, considering it was getting kinda late. He got two big bright LED flashlights out of the back, came to open my door for me, and handed me one of the flashlights.

"Uh, what are we doing?" I asked as nicely as possible.

"There's something I wanna show you. I've seen it before, and it was so beautiful, I thought you should see it too." He explained.

"But it's starting to get dark, we won't be able to see anything." I pointed out.

"Just trust me, you'll see it." He smiled.

We walked through the woods for a little bit, then he stopped and covered my eyes from behind me.

"Austin!" I giggled.

"Just hang on, I want it to be twice the surprise." He said.

He walked me forward a few steps, and an orange glow was visible, even through his fingers. He slowly let his fingers peel back from my eyes. I got an amazing view of the sunset immediately. We were in this clearing in the trees, it was weird. We were walking through a dense forest, then it was just a clearing. A big one. The sky was still blue, yet it was mixed with pinks, oranges, purples and yellows. It was the most breathtaking scenery I had ever witnessed.

"_Wow_..." I breathed.

"Yeah, I know." He said proudly.

"How did you find this place? It was so far away." I asked.

"Well, I wasn't sure if you'd really want to know, but I found it a few months ago. When you ran away, and I came to help you. After you passed out, I came across this place while finding my way back. I was really stressed at the time, because you weren't in such great condition, but this spot helped me have the strength to move on. I just thought you might actually want to be conscious here this time." He explained.

I tensed up a little at the memories of what had happened when I was here last, but it was just so beautiful, that I had to give in. "Oh, well, good idea, cause this is probably the most amazing thing I've ever seen." I said back.

"I don't know, I might've just seen something more amazing." He said smiling at me.

I knew what he meant, and smiled shyly and rolled my eyes in acceptance of his cheesy compliment. "One more thing you should know about me, I hate cheesy compliments."

"And one thing you should know about me, you're still going to hear them from me anyway." He laughed.

If I had a dollar for every time he has made me feel amazing, I'd be extremely rich. I looked back to the glowing palette of colors in the sky, admiring the beauty as the sun went down. Austin walked over to me and hugged me from behind, and I leaned back into his chest. The amount of peace and serenity I felt right now was unreal. Add another dollar to my stockpile. Then reality hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized I would have to go back home after all of this, and start to slowly suffer again. I sighed as the stress started rebuilding inside me.

"What's wrong?" Austin asked sincerely.

"Nothing, it's just...going back home is going to be so hard after having such an amazing day." I confessed. He knew about my life story in a summary anyway at this point, so I figured he would understand.

"Well, maybe you don't have to go home." He stated.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Maybe we could go find somewhere with amazing scenery like this place, and just...live there." He suggested.

It honestly didn't sound like a bad idea. It's not like anyone could stop me, there wasn't anyone to stop me. My house was utterly disgusting, so why not? But it just seemed like such a fairy-tale thing to do.

"Friends don't usually just run off and live together though." I pointed out.

"Maybe I don't want to be just friends." He said, pulling me a little closer.

I felt the sparks of happiness and hope start to return inside me. I turned my head to face towards his neck, placing my hands on top of his, which were resting on my stomach.  
"Maybe I don't want to either." I whispered.

"Does this mean..." He started.

"Yes. Yes it does." I cut him off.

"Good, cause I thought we were past that anyway." He said. He turned me around to face him completely, and his lips met mine for the second time today. It was just as breathtaking as the first, and I was feeling like my life was finally falling into place. A good place. My mind thought back to the many kisses we shared in the fort as seven year olds. I felt like a little kid again, without a worry in the world, living life in the moment. Once he pulled away, he had a suggestion.

"Well, you wanna go 'house shopping'?" He asked. I was unable to tell if he was serious or not.

"Austin, it's late. The sun has almost disappeared through these trees. And I'm tired. I hardly feel like walking back to your car, much less around town looking for houses. How on earth would we afford one anyway? It's just a little unreasonable." I protested.

He stood and thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, I didn't even think about that. But don't worry, if living there makes you uncomfortable, then I will find a way to make sure you're okay. I promise." He said sincerely.

"Thanks, that really means a lot to me." I said honestly.

"Well, if you don't feel like walking back to my car either, I think I can do something about that." He said with a sly smile, showing he had an idea.

I raised an eyebrow in question. He bent down slightly, giving the notion that he wanted to give me a piggy-back ride. I smiled and walked over to him, hopped onto his back, and wrapped my arms around his neck. He lifted up, and I felt the muscles in his shoulders flex against my arms. This sent a small blush to my cheeks, and I don't even know why.

He started walking back to the car. We got there shortly, and he sat me in the passenger seat. He took the flashlights back to the trunk, and returned to the driver seat. I quickly ended up falling asleep against my will as we drove home. Eventually though, I was awoken to his gentle voice telling me that we were home. I stepped out of the car, and he did too.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" He asked me.

"I promise I'll be fine. I can handle living in the shed in the backyard for as long as I need to." I said, almost shuddering at the thought of going back into my house.

"Okay." He said. "Hey," I turned to face him. "I love you."

It was dark, but I could still see the glistening of hazel that I knew and loved. It was strange how every other time I've heard him say that, I felt like running away. But now, I only wanted to get closer.

"I love you too." I said softly.

It almost felt weird actually saying it back this time. But it was a good weird. His smile lit up across his face, and he bent down to kiss my cheek. I again, smiled in return. I decided I would have to go home, and proceeded to go. Austin drove right back across the street to park his car in his driveway. I crawled onto my mattress and ended up crying. But they were tears of happiness. That's another first. I fell asleep easily, with no stress holding me down.

**AUSTIN'S POV**

I just got back home after what I guess you could call mine and Ally's first date. Yep, Ally Dawson was officially my girlfriend, and I was feeling like a million bucks. I guess persistence pays off.

It was probably about eleven thirty at night when I finally got home. Driving all the way out to Nosville and back, wasn't a quick trip. But it was worth it to show Ally that beautiful place.

Somewhere in the conversation we had out there, I suggested living on our own somewhere else. I have no idea where that suggestion came from, but once I said it, I didn't regret it. I could picture it so perfectly, both of us living happily ever after. But after thinking, I realized that it was totally ridiculous. My parents would never let me move out at age seventeen, with a girl, or at all, and I could never come up with the money needed to buy a house. But I promised to get Ally out of that house, because both of us knew how awful it was. And I don't break my promises.

I suddenly had another crazy idea, but this one seemed just a little bit more realistic. What if I could turn our old fort into a livable place? I could just rebuild it. It would be easy. I used to help my dad with that stuff all the time. The barn in our backyard, I built that. I have also built four different tree-houses for my cousins. They are still standing and fully functional, so rebuilding our fort shouldn't be too hard.

My plan was falling together perfectly. I was mentally doing everything I planned on doing for real. But then my mom showed up in the hallway with a furious look on her face.

"Austin Monica Moon! Where have you been?! You think you can just leave, and not come back until midnight?! You are grounded for two weeks!" She yelled.

"What?! That's not fair! Mom, I was helping Ally! Somebody was trying to get her, and I had to help!" I argued back.

"No exceptions! If you were going to leave, you should've at least told me. Or answered my calls, or texted me, or something! Do you know how worried I was?" She asked.

"I didn't even have my phone! My best friend was in trouble, and I wasn't going to stand around and wait for your permission to go help!" I yelled.

My mom stood there quietly as she thought about the situation. I guess realization hit her as she said, "I understand you care about her, but I care about you, Austin. If this person was going to hurt her, they could've hurt you. I was just worried about you. But I'm glad you were at least leaving to do something good. But please, just give me some kind of update next time. Kay?" She said, calmer.

"I promise that next time I leave, you'll know where I'm going." I said calmer as well.

She gave me a hug, and went back to her bedroom. I went upstairs to my room too, and changed into sweatpants. I lay there, thinking. Did today really happen? Did I kiss Ally Dawson? Is she really _my_ girlfriend? It was all true, and the thought made me feel amazing. I tried hard to get to sleep, because I would have to wake up early to get started on the fort renovations tomorrow.

**What did you think? Chapter twenty one is well on its way! See you soon! I love all of you! :D**


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay! I'm back with chapter 21! I am still loving your reviews and each one makes my day twenty million times better! I hope you like this chapter! Read on! :D**

AUSTIN'S POV

I was up and moving at 6:00am, like I said I would be. I had already eaten breakfast. Pancakes tasted great at six in the morning. At least, today they did. I'd never get up that early to eat any other time. I put on some old jeans, a white t-shirt, and some of my dad's work boots. I also had a pair of my dad's work gloves.

I walked out the back door to go down to the barn. I was going to try and find some tools, and maybe extra wood. To my luck, I found both. Turns out, there's been a big, and I mean huge, pile of wooden boards and beams behind the barn for a long time. I heard the screen door open from back at the house, and I turned to look. It was my dad, he was wearing a grey robe, with loafers and sweatpants. He held a cup of his signature blend of coffee.

"Austin, can I ask what you are doing at six in the morning?" He said with a suspicious tone.

"Well dad, I was thinking I would go and rebuild the old fort in the woods, it's a little run down." I told him, hoping he wouldn't ask for more explanation.

"Since when do you care about that? You haven't been back there since you were little." He pointed out.

"Uh, well, I,...there's no reason to just kill all the memories!" I lied. Though it was somewhat true. "What if you ever have grandkids? Wouldn't you want them to live out those good times?" I continued, hoping to convince him.

He gave me a confused look. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're going on about, and honestly, it's too early in the morning for me to care. But as long as you stay out of trouble, and make sure your mother doesn't have another panic attack, whatever you're doing is fine by me." He said.

"Thanks dad." I said, and went back to work. After looking around, I realized that it would take forever to lug all this wood down to the fort. I remembered my dad's pickup truck that he used sometimes.

"Dad!" I called through the screen door.

"_What_?" He said, groggily walking towards me.

"Can I use your pickup truck to carry the wood to the fort?" I asked.

"Whatever, as long as you don't wreck it." He sighed.

"Kay, thanks again dad!" I said running to get the keys to the truck.

I drove it around to the backyard, and started loading it up. Board after board, I eventually filled up the back. My arms were already sore, and I hadn't even really started yet. I drove down the path to the fort. Luckily, it was wide enough for the truck. I then had to unload every piece of wood. I had to do this entire process of loading and unloading three more times. Finally, all the wood had been transported to the fort. But I was so wore out, that I decided to take a lunch break. Back up at the house, my mom had a peanut butter sandwich waiting for me. Along with chips, and juice.

"Mom, I'm seventeen. I don't need little kiddie lunches prepared for me anymore." I complained.

"Do you want it or not?" She said, taking the plate away.

"Yes!" I said, grabbing the plate back. I ate my lunch and rested my muscles. My arms were literally throbbing. I have worked out a few times before, but loading and unloading four truckloads of solid wood, was definitely exhausting. Though I was tired, I needed to get back to work if I wanted anything to get done. I finished eating, cleaned up my dishes, and headed back to the woods.

I needed to form some type of blueprint to get an idea of what I was going for. I grabbed an old notebook and pen out of the truck, and started drawing out my vision. After I finished drawing, I found many flaws in my plan. The slope of this hill, although it wasn't that big, would oppose the base of the building. I decided I would have to dig out the upper side of the fort to level it out.

Before I did anything though, I would have to take down the existing fort. I almost felt bad to take it apart. I never got rid of a single piece of it though. I stacked up each and every piece of the old wood in a separate pile. I wasn't going to throw away the magic in these boards. There were still some objects and things left in the old fort. I gathered everything and kept it safe in a separate stack. I got busy clearing out the entire area, and leveled everything off. It took a long time, but the space was ready for construction. It was too late to get started on that stuff today, so I would have to work on it tomorrow.

I left the wood down here, I just covered it with a tarp, so if it rained, it wouldn't rot. I kept the old pieces of the hut with me in the truck though, because I was too concerned with losing them to leave them alone. Yeah, I know it's been left down here for many years before, but I'm just paranoid. I drove back up to the house and parked my dad's truck in the backyard. I was dirty, sweaty, and exhausted. I just wanted to shower and go to bed. And that's exactly what I did.

ALLY'S POV

I had woken up feeling great. Last night was amazing and I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Since I was in a much better mood, I decided to call up Trish. It only rang once before she answered.

"Hello?" She questioned.

"Hey Trish! It's me Ally!" I said happily.

"Ally! Hey girl, what's up?" She greeted.

"Oh nothing, I just was wondering if you wanna get together and have a girl's day?" I asked.

"Of course! Do you know how long it's been since we had one of those?" She said excitedly.

"I know! I figured we could use another one, since we haven't hung out in a while." I suggested.

"Sounds great, come over A.S.A.P!" She squealed.

"Alright bye." I said, hanging up the phone.

I looked on my desk table for some clothes to wear. Man, I really needed to go shopping. I used to dress really nice and girly, but after, you know, I just didn't care what I looked like anymore. But I was ready to go back to being outgoing and enjoying life again, and I needed the wardrobe to show it. Maybe Trish and I can do that today. I found the most decent outfit I could, that consisted of a dark purple shirt, with my black jeans and boots that I wore on my 'goth day'. I grabbed my phone and headed to Trish's house.

I got to her front porch, and the door swung open before I had a chance to knock. She stood there glowing with excitement, and a smile spread across her face.

"Ally!" She screamed, pouncing on me with a hug. I laughed and greeted her as well.

"Hey Trish!" I said.

"I'm so glad you wanted to come over! Come on, lets go to my room." She suggested. I followed her upstairs to her room, and we sat on her big beanbag chairs.

"So what's up? Anything new I need to know? I haven't talked to you lately, and you seem happier." She said.

"No, not really. Well, I guess there is this one little thing." I mentioned.

"Ooh! What is it? Tell me! Tell me!" She said, bouncing in her seat. It was funny how interested she was in my life.

"Well, you know Austin right?" I asked.

"Austin Moon? Your former best friend? Top dog of the school? Total hottie? Ki.."

"Yes." I said cutting her off. "That's the one."

"Well what about him?" She asked curiously.

"Well, I guess you could say...we're, um..." I trailed off thinking of the word. I knew what I wanted to say, but something inside me was holding onto the past, preventing me from actually saying it.

"Oh my gosh! You guys are dating?!" She screamed again.

"Yeah, that's the word I was looking for." I finally admitted with a shy smile, and slight blush on my cheeks.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh! Ally, that's great! When did it happen? _How_ did it happen? Is he like an _amazing_ boyfriend?" She babbled, while freaking out.

I ended up telling her the whole story. Not missing a single detail. Now she also knew my life story. I figured it was only fair that my best girl friend knew what was going on. She understood me, and listened intently. It was really surprising that she didn't laugh or judge me, but I guess I was just being self-conscious.

"I think being Austin Moon's girlfriend deserves celebration. What do you think?" She suggested.

"I think that I agree with that." I said with a smile.

"Great, because I already had plans." She stated. I laughed at her controlling personality, and we got in her car to go have a girl's day.

We went to the nail salon first. We both got manicures and pedicures. I picked a vibrant yellow-orange color for my nails, whereas Trish got hot pink. It was relaxing, and I wish I had done this sooner.

"Okay, I know there's no point in asking, but do you wanna go clothes shopping?" She asked.

"Actually yeah, I could really use a few more outfits. Why isn't there a point in asking?" I questioned.

"Because we're going anyway. Don't even worry about money, I have that covered. You will have so many new clothes by the end of today, it will be unbelievable." She stated. I laughed once more and we headed to the mall. Trish's family was definitely a wealthy one, and they were very generous. So she meant what she said.

When we got to the mall, it seemed foreign to me. Everything had changed since I had been here. New stores, new setup, new technology, and more. I hadn't been here since I was probably nine or ten years old. But Trish could walk this place with a blindfold, so I wasn't worried.

Like she said, I had so many new clothes that it was unbelievable. I can't even remember how much money we had spent, but I had enough clothes to last me a lifetime. Or at least until I grew out of these clothes. Her car was loaded up with clothes, shoes, accessories and everything imaginable. I bought clothes that I liked, and also reflected my newer personality. Bright, girly, fun. That was the way I used to be, and that's what I'm going back to.

"You hungry?" Trish asked.

"Maybe a little, I don't mind, whatever you wanna do." I said considerately.

"Don't lie to me Ally. Remember money isn't an issue, and I am more than happy to do stuff with you." She said, seeing right through my act.

"Okay, I'm starving. I seriously haven't eaten anything today, and I almost shopped till I dropped. I could use some food right now." I admitted.

"That's what I thought. Ally, we're best friends. If you want something, just tell me. I can take it. You are like a sister to me." She said.

"Aww, thanks Trish. Now let's eat." I told her.

We drove to a diner about ten minutes away from the mall. It was a really nice restaurant, but it actually wasn't too expensive. I ate well, as did Trish. When we finished, it was about eight in the evening. We stopped at the store and bought movies and snacks to have back at Trish's.

I had just made popcorn, and we were sitting in Trish's room to watch one of the movies we bought. We stayed up all night watching movies, talking, laughing, gossiping, and just having an awesome girl's day. I think we finally crashed somewhere around two in the morning.

The next day when we woke up, Trish's mom informed me that their family was taking a trip to the beach for the next four days. She invited me to come along. I happily agreed, because I had been wanting to go to the beach again. It was settled and we were leaving tomorrow. It was weird not having to ask permission, but it made me a little upset to think of why I didn't have to. I needed to tell Austin that I'd be leaving for a few days, or he might think I ran away again or something. I decided I'd go over and see him later today. Tomorrow was gonna be fun.

**There you have it! Sorry, I know this was a really sucky chapter, but right around this point in the story, I had a little writers block. But I thought of some new ideas for the remaining chapters. Please review and tell me what you thought! Oh, and I totally forgot about the preview in the last chapter, sorry! So here is your preview this time so I don't forget:**

**_When we walked in the room, my jaw dropped. I knew this hotel was nice, and I expected the room to be impressive, but I was underestimating it. It was gorgeous. I don't think I've ever seen anything that looks more...expensive. From the huge balcony, you got an amazing view of the ocean, and all of the beach-life. We unpacked everything, and settled in. _**

**Sorry for the super short and sucky preview, but I dont want to give away any hints to the twist in later chapters. Oops, didn't mean to mention that. Oh well, don't forget to review! :D**


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay, I feel like I haven't posted in FOREVER. But I'm back with the next chapter and I hope you guys are still interested, cause things are starting to get better in the next couple of chapters. I've had Lloyd of things keeping me busy including some tragic family issues. Thanks for all your reviews favs and follows! Thanks so much and keep reading!**

AUSTIN'S POV

Even though I was tired, I had to get up early again. I was going to get this fort rebuilt as soon as possible. I got dressed in suitable construction clothes, grabbed the keys to the pickup truck, and returned to the woods. When I got down there, everything was left undisturbed. Although, that shouldn't surprise me.

First, I would have to create the base. My dad had left multiple components needed for building, in the truck. Before using wood, I would have to lay down this wire mesh stuff. This stops the mud from seeping through, and weeds from growing. Then I laid down a layer of wood as the base. I nailed each board together securely. I then had to put up and nail together the walls. Once that was done, I had the roof put on top of the building.

Currently, it was just a giant box. But I was planning on adding a couple separate rooms, along with an upstairs. But quite a few hours had already passed, so I went up to go eat. Mom didn't have anything prepared for me today, so I just ate leftover pizza that we had in the fridge.

I was about halfway through my second piece of pizza when I heard the doorbell. I got up to see who it was. When I opened the door, Ally was standing there, greeting me with a smile.

"Hey Ally!" I said, hugging her. "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to let you know that Trish invited me to go to the beach with her. I'm gonna be gone for the next four days. I just thought you should know, so you wouldn't freak out, or think I was missing, or something." She explained.

"Oh, well that's cool. I've been kinda busy anyway." I said.

"With what?" She asked.

"Nothing." I stated quickly. She gave me a knowing look. "It's a surprise. You'll find out what it is as soon as you get back from the beach."

"Okay, I gotta go meet Trish. I'll see you later." She said with a smile.

"I'm gonna miss you." I said, holding my arms open for another hug, and she accepted it.

"I'm gonna miss you too." She whispered into my shirt. We finally let go, and she walked off down the street.

"Have fun at the beach!" I yelled out to her. She turned around to face my house, and laughed as she kept walking.

In the meantime, fort duties had to be taken care of. I promised her I would show her the surprise when she got back from the beach, which meant I had to get all of this done in four days. I've got serious work to do.

The amount of work I got done today, was pretty impressive. I got the entire first level built, with rooms and everything. The frame of the second level was complete, and ready to be added onto. I looked at my phone to find that it was ten thirty at night. I gathered my belongings and drove back up. My dad was sitting on our front porch.

"Hey Dad, what are you doing out here this late?" I asked curiously.

"I could ask you the same question." He stated.

"But you know what I was doing. I just thought it was weird that you were out here." I said.

"Well, your mom went to sleep early, and I wasn't that tired, so I just came out here. It's a nice night, I was just relaxing, and watching the stars." He explained.

"Oh, that's cool. And here's your keys." I said, handing him the keys to his pickup.

"Is your project coming along well?" He asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. I really made some progress today." I told him.

"You wanna tell me why you really decided to rebuild it?" He questioned.

"Uh, what? What do you mean?" I asked a little nervously.

"Austin, your interest in building things has never been that evident before. You don't just instantly decided you like building things." He explained.

"Why not? And who said I never enjoyed building things? We used to always have little construction projects. The barn, the treehouses? Rebuilding the fort will keep me busy. Mom doesn't like it when I run off anyway." I lied, hoping he'd buy it. It wasn't necessarily all lies though.

"Whatever Austin. I know there is something you aren't telling me, but that's okay. I wouldn't have told my dad about a lot of stuff that I did when I was younger either. But I just want you to know, that you can tell me anything that might be going on." He told me.

"Thanks dad." I smiled. But I felt bad about keeping secrets from my own dad. Maybe I could just tell him a few things. He wouldn't mind, would he? "Can I tell you about a girl?" I asked quickly, before having second thoughts.

"Sure, son. Who is the girl?" He asked.

"Well, lets just say I really like this girl. I know she likes me too, but sometimes it's hard to tell. She has a lot of stuff going on in her life, and I just wanna be there for her." I explained, hoping for some fatherly advice.

"Does this girl happen to be somebody I know?" He questioned knowingly.

"Yeah, but you might not remember her." I said.

"Ally Dawson?" He guessed simply.

"You knew?" I asked, surprised.

"Of course I did. I know my son. Plus, I figured it would happen one day. You guys were best friends. I knew that you guys had some friendship issues throughout middle school and high school, but I had hope that you would do something about it. It was obvious how much she meant to you, and I knew you wouldn't let her get away. Now, I haven't heard from her in a while, so I couldn't tell you her point of view. But you two have history. It will last, trust me. Me and your mom grew up as best friends, look how we ended up." He laughed.

"Wow, I never thought of it from someone else's point of view. I also never knew you paid so much attention to my life." I chuckled.

"Well, I'm glad I could give you some advice. I'm gonna go to bed now though, I'm tired. Goodnight." He said, patting me on the back as he walked inside.

"Night dad." I said. I sat out on the porch for a little bit longer, admiring the stars in the sky. Eventually though, exhaustion got the better of me, and I had to go to bed as well.

ALLY'S POV

I was getting packed for the beach with Trish. I had plenty of clothes to choose from, thanks to her. The only thing I didn't have were bathing suits. She told me that we could buy some once we got there though. Her parents and her brother rode in their minivan, and Trish and I followed behind them in her car.

We played a ton of road trip games to pass time. I knew that Trish should probably be focused on the road, but she was a very good driver. She was still focused, but we played games as well. We only had one tiny slip up, where she started driving off the side of the road by accident. Luckily, the rumble strips grabbed her attention.

It took five hours, but we finally arrived. We checked in at our hotel, and unpacked. Me and Trish shared a room, and her family took a separate room. Her parents didn't seem to mind too much that Trish wanted to be more independent.

The hotel we were in was extremely classy. It was a five-star vacation resort. And we had penthouse reservations. I was slowly beginning to be very thankful for having a rich friend, in a totally non-selfish way. Trish really was a good person, and I'd never take advantage of her money. The front desk attendant gave us the keys to our room, and we headed to the elevator to go to the penthouse level.

When we walked in the room, my jaw dropped. I knew this hotel was nice, and I expected the room to be impressive, but I was underestimating it. It was gorgeous. I don't think I've ever seen anything that looks more...expensive. From the huge balcony, you got an amazing view of the ocean, and all of the beach-life. We unpacked everything, and settled in.

"So what do you think of the hotel?" Trish asked proudly.

"It's amazing!" I gushed.

"I know. I was gonna tell you that we booked an amazing penthouse resort, but I figured it would be better to let you be surprised." She explained. I just smiled, still speechless at the beauty.

"Well what are we waiting for? Lets get down to the beach!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah! But wait...I still don't have a swimsuit." I pointed out.

"Oh yeah, well then let's get to the store!" She rephrased.

We stopped at the store, and we each got four new bathing suits. We made our way down to the beach afterwards, and spread out our towels to lay on. For today, we just relaxed on the beach, because we got there too late to actually do anything. My old memories of the beach came back, and I remembered why I loved the beach so much. I was really beginning to look forward to the next few days.

**What did you think? Yeah yeah, it's not that great if you ask me, but the twist is coming! I already mentioned it before, so there's no hiding it now. Don't forget to READ AND REVIEW!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey! I decided to go ahead and post this chapter now since you guys were eager for the twist. This chapter is the beginning of that twist! Read and Review! :D**

**_ALLY'S POV_**

Even though Trish isn't an early-bird, we both got up bright and early to watch the sunrise over the ocean. It was a beautiful sight to see. The mix of colors in the sky waking up the world. It reminded me of the time when Austin took me to see the sunset. Nothin would ever measure up to that amazing scenery. I made sure to take lots of pictures on my iPod to save this memory. I even caught some pictures of dolphins surfacing the water over the horizon. I put my iPod back in my bag, and walked back in from the balcony.

"You wanna go out for breakfast?" Trish asked me.

"Yeah sure. Where at?" I answered, feeling my stomach growl for food.

"Well, there's an IHOP across the street, a local country morning breakfast place down the road a little, and there's the complimentary five star restaurant in this building. Your pick." She listed.

"Five star. Let's go." I stated. I had never been to anything fancy before, so there's a first time for everything.

"That's what I thought. Come on." She said, walking towards the door.

"Wait, shouldn't we change clothes first?" I asked.

"That's the beauty of being a resident of this hotel, public attire is not required. Pajamas are perfectly acceptable." She explained.

"I am in love with this hotel." I said with a chuckle.

"I better tell Austin to watch out." Trish laughed, giving me a knowing look.

I just rolled my eyes and blushed a little as we made our way down to the lobby. From the elevator, you got a good view of the city. We got down to the restaurant and everything was so perfect, I was afraid to walk in. Everyone in there was wearing their pajamas, and it was kinda funny. Only because I'd never seen anything like it. Usually, people in this kind of setting were dressed as nicely as possible.

We got our table, and just ordered the breakfast buffet. Once we both got our food, we discussed about what we should do today.

"There's a lot to do, but we'll never get it done in four days." Trish pointed out.

"Well, name some things." I suggested.

"Go-Karting, Putt-Putt, Parasailing, Amusement park, boat and jet-ski rentals, shopping, surfing, tanning, swimming, horseback riding on the beach, laser tag, arcade, water park, fishing, bike rental, zip-lining, and..." Trish went on, reading everything off her attractions pamphlet in front of her.

"Okay! I get it!" I said, cutting her off. "What do _you_ want to do?"

"Hey, your the guest, you get to pick." She said politely.

"Okay, how about the water park? That sounded pretty fun to me." I suggested.

"Sounds great. Let's get started. It's about a half hour drive from here. It's on the north end of the beach." She said, looking over the map of attractions she had with her.

We left the restaurant and went back up to the room to get ready. Trish left her parents a message just to check up. We packed towels, sunscreen, a change of clothes, and money, in a bag and went out to her car. We drove the half hour it took to get there, and finally arrived. You could see slides over top of the trees as soon as you got into the parking lot.

Once we paid and got in, we picked a table to leave our stuff at, and tried to decide where to go first. We decided to go straight to the biggest water slide there. It was called the Flume of Doom. It was really tall, and you reached falling speeds of forty-five miles per hour. I could use a good adrenaline rush.

All day we had fun doing everything there. Then when we were waiting at the raging rapids, I felt like someone was watching me. It was weird, but the feeling was definitely there. I instinctively looked around, but saw no one out of the ordinary. But then, someone did catch my eye. He was looking at me, but as soon as I looked at him, he ducked his head and quickly exited the line. I couldn't tell if it was anybody familiar before he ran off. But there was an odd churning of discomfort in the pit of my stomach. Something wasn't right with that mystery guy, and I was very unsettled. I decided not to mention it to Trish, so that way we could still have a good time.

Finally, hours later, it was time to leave, and go get some dinner. We gathered our belongings and proceeded back to the car. Just before we got there, I saw the guy again, jogging hastily out of the parking lot. It looked as if he had been standing at our car, and then ran in the opposite direction. My breath hitched and I gasped a little, feeling the uncertainty in my stomach make a reappearance.

"You okay?" Trish asked, noticing the change in my behavior.

"Uh, yeah. It's just, um, I uh thought I was going to sneeze. But I didn't." I lied, my gaze still locked in the direction of the running mystery guy.

"Oh, okay." She laughed, still giving me a look of uncertainty. We got in the car and drove back to the hotel. Just forget about it Ally, I thought. We got back, changed into some new sundresses that we had, and walked down to the beach. We walked on the boardwalk down the beach to find a diner to eat at.

We finally found a decent one, sat down, and overlooked the menu. Then, I saw him. _Again_. Right there, two booths down from us, facing me. He was looking right at me, staring me down. This can't be happening. Something was vaguely familiar about him, but I don't know who he is. It was clearly evident by the look in his eyes, that his intentions weren't friendly. And I was obviously his target.

**_AUSTIN'S POV_**

Ally had been gone for two days, which meant that I had two more days to get this fort finished. I now had everything built. There were two floors. But the top floor wasn't like a real floor with rooms. Half of it was just one big empty room with a roof, and the other half was an open balcony. It was mainly built to be a place just to watch the sunset and the stars, or just chill out. The bottom floor had a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and a living room. Well, actually, they were just a bunch of empty rooms, but that's what I imagined that they would be.

I may know how to build a house, but I have no idea how to do anything with electricity or plumbing. And that's where I found myself in a problem. What was the point of building this thing if I couldn't even make it livable? I thought about my options for a long time and finally came to a conclusion. Nick, one of my old 'friends', has a dad who works in that field. I could convince him to do it for me, since we are still friends according to him. I called him immediately.

"Hey Nick?" I said through the phone.

"Austin? Hey! Whatcha need?" He asked.

"Your dad still has the same job right?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah, why?" Nick questioned.

"Well, I'm working on this...uh...home improvement project, and I was wondering if he could help me out." I explained.

"Uh, yeah sure thing. No problem bro." He replied.

"Ah thanks! When can he come over?" I asked excitedly.

"Hang on." He said, going to talk to his dad. I heard distant voices, then Nick's voice was clear again. "He said he's free anytime."

"How bout today?" I asked.

"Absolutely. We'll be over soon." He confirmed.

"Kay, see ya then." I said, hanging up the phone. Nick actually wasn't a bad guy, but he had been greatly influenced by Dallas. My fists clenched instinctively at the thought of that sick player.

Not too long afterwards, they showed up, ready to work. Turns out, he didn't even make me pay since I was friends with Nick. The whole time while he was working though, Nick was closely eyeing every detail of the area. It was strange. He just kept looking all around as if making mental notes in his head. I let it go, and helped his dad finish up.

He ended up making the fort perfectly livable along with all the appliances. It was great. Ally was going to love it. Hopefully. I was beginning to get nervous, because I wanted her to be pleased. Everything needed to be perfect for her. But I knew I was just over thinking it. I was getting anxious for her arrival. Just one more day. _One more day..._

_..._

**What did ya think? Make sure to tell me what you think is going on. I didn't give you a preview on the last chapter so here's one to make up for it!**

_I answered the phone anyway. It turned out to be Ally on the phone and she was in trouble. I tried to focus on her, but my mind kept replaying the same thing. Ally's in trouble. Ally's in trouble. After hearing about the situation, I gave her all the tips I could and bolted up to my house. _

_Police cars were lined up outside the hotel, and so was a live news cast crew. I felt a strong anger brewing towards those people. Somebody is in trouble, and they just stand there to record it for other people's entertainment. I ran up to the main doors of the hotel when a policeman stopped me. _

**Thats all you get for now! Hehe, sorry! The more reviews I get, the quicker you find out what happens! Well, you know what to do! Review! :D**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys! I'm back with chapter 24! Your reviews have been AMAZING! I'm still hoping I can make it to 200 reviews! Only you guys can make that happen and I hope you do! Read on and review! :D**

...

**_ALLY'S POV_**

Maybe this guy was just a weirdo who stares at people. And it was just a coincidence that we were in the same places all day. That's ridiculous. This guy was focused on me, and there was no denying it. Most of his face was covered behind the menu now, but I knew it was him. I decided it was a good time to mention it to Trish.

"Trish." I whispered, trying to get her attention quietly.

"What? Why are you whispering?" She asked loudly.

"_Trish_!" I whisper-yelled. "Shh! I gotta tell you something that certain people don't need to hear."

"Oh, why? We don't even know anyone in here." She whispered.

"Just listen. The guy sitting a couple booths down in the black T-shirt has been following us around all day. He's staring at me, and he looks creepy." I explained.

She started to turn around to look. "Trish! Don't look now! It'll be too obvious!" I whisper-yelled again.

"Oh, sorry. Are you sure he's been following us? What are the odds?" She asked, turning back around.

"Just trust me Trish. That guy is bad news and I know it. We need to leave." I ordered, trusting my gut instinct.

"But I'm hungry!" She whined.

"We can eat at the hotel. Come on. This will prove that he's following us." I said, getting out of the booth. She followed closely behind me and we got in her car. We sat in the car for just a minute and then the guy walked out of the restaurant, subtly sneaking a glance at us.

"_See?!_ I told you he was following us!" I said in a high pitch voice.

"What do we do?!" She squealed in a nervous tone.

"Right now? Drive away." I suggested.

She wasted no time backing out and speeding away towards the hotel. The mystery guy was left standing in the parking lot, watching us drive away. We arrived back at the hotel in under two minutes and walked back up to the room. Trish was openly freaking out, while I was keeping it under control. I was freaking out too, but I have had more experience with keeping my feelings inside.

"Oh my god!" She shrieked. "Ally! There's a crazy maniac guy following us around! What do we do?!"

"Trish, calm down. Freakouts and screaming are not going to help us right now. We need to get a hold of ourselves." I explained, trying to bring peace into the matter.

"Whew. Okay, I get it. Calm." She said inhaling and exhaling deep breaths.

"Good. Now just relax. Maybe we're over thinking this whole thing." I said, trying to calm myself down more than her. Then I heard a knock at the door.

"Hang on, it's probably my mom. I'll get it." Trish said, getting up to answer the door. She looked through the little peephole before opening the door, then jumped back.

"What?!" I said, confused at her action.

"It's him! Ally it's him! The one from the restaurant! He's right there in front of our door! What do we do?! What do we _DO_?!" She whisper-yelled.

My heart started beating faster. Nerves had momentarily paralyzed my body. I knew this guy was trouble from the moment we locked eyes in the water park. Maybe if I looked through the peephole myself, I could see who he really is. It took every nerve in my body to walk up to that door. I looked through and studied his face and features carefully. He stood staring at the door handle, not moving a bit. I definitely recognized this guy, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly who it was.

"Trish, I know this guy." I said to her quietly.

"Well who the heck is he, and why is he following us around?" She asked, pacing the room frantically.

"I don't know. I don't know exactly _who_ it is, but I've definitely seen him before." I told her.

"Should we open the door and try to reason with him?" She asked.

"No! What if he has a weapon?!" I flipped out. I immediately smacked my hand over my mouth. I yelled that out loud and I was right at the door. "Call your dad. Now."

Trish pulled out her phone and dialed her dad's number. She waited for a while then threw the phone on the ground and whined nervously. "He didn't answer! They're probably down on the beach. He never brings his phone with him there."

"What the hell are we going to do Trish?!" I whisper-yelled again, with fear in my voice, and tears now pricking the corners of my eyes.

"I don't know!" She cried, dropping to the floor, silently sobbing.

"Austin!" I blurted. "I can call Austin!" I suggested. Trish tossed me her phone and I called his number by heart. It only rang twice before he answered.

"Trish? Why are you calling me?" He asked with confusion. It felt so good to hear a familiar voice that I knew and loved.

"It's me. Ally. I need your help. Right. Now." I said in a tone that I knew he would find serious.

"What's wrong?" He said, his voice protectively dropping an octave.

"There's been this strange, no good, looking guy following us around all day. And now, he's right at our door." I explained briefly.

"I'm coming, right now." He said.

"No, Austin. It'll take too long. And I don't want you getting hurt either." I told him.

"You're getting hurt?! I'm definitely coming." He said roughly.

"No, I'm fine, sort of. Not really." I tried to explain. "Nevermind. Austin, you've gotta do something else. This guy isn't just gonna wait at our door for six hours! If I don't open that door soon, he's gonna bust in or something." I argued.

"Do NOT open that door Ally. Whatever you do, DON'T open it." He instructed.

"Okay, then what _do_ I do?" I asked, my sanity starting to leave me.

"Call the police. I'm coming down there. Stay hidden in the room as much as possible. And don't open that door." He ordered.

"Okay." I said quietly through the phone.

"Be safe, and remember that I love you." He said more sincerely now.

"I love you too Austin." I said shakily, tears now streaming down my face. With that, the phone call was ended. I held the phone to my ear a little longer, holding on to his voice in a way. But the urgency of the situation was back in my mind and I went back to Trish. "We gotta call the police."

Trish just nodded and took the phone from me. I sat down, hugging my knees, in the corner of the room, vaguely hearing Trish mumble to the police the situation we were in. I thought of Austin and wondered if I'd see him again.

**_AUSTIN'S POV_**

I was doing some yard work around the fort. I was planting a garden on one side. I also had painted the fort to give it life and color. I know it sounded like such a feminine thing to do, but it was mostly for Ally. It wasn't long after that until I got a phone call from Trish. I wondered why Trish was calling me. We hadn't really talked since we were younger.

I answered the phone anyway. It turned out to be Ally on the phone and she was in trouble. I tried to focus on her, but my mind kept replaying the same thing. Ally's in trouble. Ally's in trouble. After hearing about the situation, I gave her all the tips I could and bolted up to my house, dropping everything.

"Mom I'm driving to the beach! Don't ask why, I'll be back soon!" I yelled through the house. I grabbed my keys and busted it out of there. I was on the interstate before I knew it, driving well over forty miles over the speed limit. I weaved in and out of traffic trying hard to get to Ally. Four and half hours later, I was there. Right in front of the hotel Ally told me she was staying at.

Police cars were lined up outside the hotel, and so was a live news cast crew. I felt a strong anger brewing towards those people. Somebody is in trouble, and they just stand there to record it for other people's entertainment. I ran up to the main doors of the hotel when a policeman stopped me.

"You can't go in there son, the killer has hostages. Unless you want someone to get killed today, I suggest you stay out here." He explained.

My mind whirled. _Killer_. _Hostages_. _Ally_. _No_...

...

**Oooh! What's going on? Leave your thoughts and comments and chapter twenty five will be soon on its way! I hope you guys are loving it and every review makes my day better! Alright here's your sneak peek for chap. 25! **

_My fists clenched, my blood boiled, and a roar of rage ripped through my gut, and out of my mouth. I knew who he was. I punched, kicked, and beat whatever was left in this guy, out of him. I knew he was already dead, but I needed some form of revenge. He killed Ally. He deserved to be dead._

**Alright that's it! Hate to leave you hanging on such a huge cliff, but that's what makes a story interesting! P.S. I promise this story will have a happy ending! Read & Review! :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys! I'm back with chapter twenty five! Thanks SO MUCH for getting me over 200 reviews! You have no idea how amazing that is! I never expected this much feedback or for the story to get this long! Sadly, this story doesn't have too many chapters left, and will soon be ending. A sequel might be in question, but only if I get LOTS of people requesting it, because I've never written a sequel before, and I don't know how well I could take on that project. Anyways, back to this chapter, Read & REVIEW! :D**

...

**_ALLY'S POV_**

Nothing was clear. My mind was whirling with everything imaginable, yet solid blank at the same time. Sound was long gone. Vision had left as well. I was floating in empty space. Or at least that's what it felt like. The world was quiet and still. What had happened to me?

The last thing I remember was Trish handing me the phone after calling the police. Just seconds after that, the mystery guy had entered the room, somehow unlocking the door. His gun was pointed at us both as he moved closer, slamming the door shut behind him. At that point, fear had taken over my body completely. I closed my eyes, shutting myself out the world, trying to wake myself up from this awful nightmare.

Whoever had busted in, had me in a chokehold now. Something was put under my nose, it smelled funny. Then that's how I ended up here. I didn't know if Trish was okay, if I was alive, or if anyone knew what was going on.

Somewhere in the fogginess of the empty space I was in, I saw my mom walking towards me. I tried to get to her, but I kept getting pulled away from her. She called out to me, yelling my name, but her voice became distant and vague. I cried for her, but my screams were silent. My dad had also appeared. He was sane and alcohol free. He also tried and failed to get to me.

I had to be dead. So far, the only people around me were dead people. I felt like I was back in the woods, dying. Everything was the same here as it had been there. Except for seeing my parents.

Sound was slowly returning to my ears after what felt like a lifetime. I heard police sirens, gunshots, and screaming. I then weakly opened my eyes, the light from the balcony window pouring in, momentarily blinding me. Once my eyes adjusted, I found Trish propped up against the wall opposite of me. She was lying unconscious with tape over her mouth, and hands tied up with rope. Her forehead was bleeding. I cringed and looked down at myself to find a similar outcome.

The first thing on my mind was escape. I saw no sign of the predator as I looked around. I lifted my tied hands up to pull the tape off of my mouth. My hands were stained with blood from the tight scratchy rope. I used my teeth to untie the rope. It hurt more than anything to get off, but fear was blocking out the pain right now.

Once I was free, I stood up slowly and cautiously, examining everything in the area. I wondered if I should try and help Trish as well. Of course I wanted to, but she was still unconscious, and I barely even knew how to get myself out of here. I tried waking her up, but had no luck. I took the tape off her mouth and untied her hands though. I heard footsteps returning down the hall, and my fight or flight instinct kicked in. Flight was my instinctive option.

"I'm sorry." I whispered to Trish. I ran out onto the balcony scoping out the area quickly before jumping over the handrail, climbing down the side of the hotel, balcony by balcony.

Once I hit sand at the bottom, I shot off. I ran full speed ahead, not slowing down for anything. I didn't care about anything except getting the hell out of there. I ran, mile after mile, not thinking twice about where I was going. I didn't focus on a single thing around me. I was blinded by adrenaline, the only thing keeping me alive right now.

I finally rested under a boardwalk at the ocean. Sweat was dripping off my forehead onto my shirt. I noticed that it was red though. I reached up and wiped off my head to find my hand full of blood. My head must've been cut, like Trish. I walked to the water and drenched myself in it. The salt water stung my cuts like boiling water, but I knew it would help heal it.

Once the pain had subsided, I tried to find my bearings. It wasn't until then that I noticed that this dock was the only thing around. No hotels, houses, stores or restaurants. Nothing. I must've ran further than I thought. I fell to the ground in the sand, wondering why everything bad in life always happened to me.

**_AUSTIN'S POV_**

Ally was in that building. With a killer. Being held hostage. This was not happening.

"Sir, I have to get inside! My best friend is in there!" I protested to the police officer.

"Sorry kid. I know you want to help, but you're doing her a favor by staying here. Do you even know how a hostage situation works?" He said trying to hold me back.

"But she called me to help her! I need to _help_ her!" I yelled, continuing to try and get in the hotel.

He said no more, just sent other officers to push me away. I fought and struggled to get out of their grip, but it was no use. I sat on the asphalt in the parking lot, staring at the hotel. My heart ached to get to her. Gunshots sounded from in the hotel, and I felt like the bullets were hitting me. Tears were running down my face, and I couldn't help but think this was my fault.

I ran away from the scene. I couldn't be here witnessing this. I stayed at a local diner for almost three hours before walking out on the beach. I stood with my feet in the sand, waves gently rolling over my toes. People were out here enjoying their vacations, unaware of the horror going on elsewhere.

I figured I had been gone long enough, and made my way back to the hotel to see if progress had been made. I got there to find the same thing I had left from. The officer that had stopped me before, approached me.

"The murderer has been shot and killed. As far as we know, he was the only criminal. There have been five deaths and seventeen injuries reported. There is one girl at the ambulances who says she knows you, if you want to talk to her. You are now free to enter the hotel at your own risk if you choose." He told me.

I nodded and ran over to the ambulances hoping to see Ally. I got there but saw no familiar faces. Some random bystander pointed in the direction of a girl on a stretcher. I didn't bother to ask and made my way over to that girl. I found that the girl was Trish. I was disappointed not to find Ally, but hopeful to find someone that might know where she is.

"Trish? Are you okay?" I asked, genuinely concerned for the person who once was my friend.

"Yeah, just a little dazed with a few cuts. I'll be fine." She answered weakly.

"Do you know where Ally is?" I asked, my voice cracking at the mention of her name.

She wiped away a tear that was beginning to form in her eye, and replied with a very unstable, "No."

My heart dropped to my stomach and the world disappeared around me. I took one swift motion to bolt towards the hotel. There was blood, bodies, and everything imaginable in the scene. But I blocked all that out, as I traveled to the penthouse room. I found a dead man in front of the door. I pushed the door open and scanned the room. No sign of Ally. Just blood. Lots and lots of blood. I turned back to find that the dead man in front of the door was the killer.

My fists clenched, my blood boiled, and a roar of rage ripped through my gut, and out of my mouth. _I knew who he was. _I punched, kicked, and beat whatever was left in this guy, out of him. I knew he was already dead, but I needed some form of revenge. He killed Ally. He deserved to be dead.

I went back into the room, trying to find something. A piece of her to hang on to. I found nothing. I wondered why her body was gone, instead of laying around dead somewhere. I walked out on the balcony and found bloody handprints on the railing. Small, Ally size handprints. I looked down to find the same bloody handprints on every balcony railing below. My mind connected the dots.

She escaped. She's _alive_.

...

**So? What did ya think? I absolutely LOVE reading all the reviews! I hope you love reading this story as much as I love writing it! Sorry, but I can't give a preview of the next chapter this time! You'll have to just be patient and wait for the next update! My apologies, see you next time! :D**


	26. Chapter 26

**Alright I'm back with chapter 26! I absolutely LOVE all thee reviews I'm getting! You guys are so UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING, I just can't handle it! Im just so glad you guys are liking my story, and I can't wait for you to read the rest of it! Keep reading and reviewing! :D**

**_ALLY'S POV_**

After sobbing in the sand for a few more minutes, I decided that I wasn't going to let myself die out here. I couldn't possibly be that lost, I only ran down the beach. Well, I think that's all I did. I was so blinded by fear and adrenaline, I really don't know what I had done.

I looked around once more, still confused at the fact that I had found nothing around me. I stood up to start walking back, but as soon as I stood, my head felt weightless and my vision went blank. It was only gone momentarily, and then it came back. It must've been a momentary head rush from losing a fair amount of blood. I again stood slowly and began to walk in the direction that I was pretty sure I came here from.

My feet were sore from running before, my head was hurting immensely, and my body still stung all over from the salt water. I carried on though, wanting to get to some sort of civilization.

After what felt like years of walking, I began to finally see the tops of big hotels. And I recognized some because we were staying right next to them. I knew I was close, so I began to pick up the pace, but then I had another head rush, and my vision gave out again. It hurt much more than the last one. I had a sharp pain in my chest. Then in an instant, all the pain vanished, and I felt myself collapse to the sand.

**_AUSTIN'S POV_**

I knew she had to be alive. That would explain all the unanswered questions. She's smart, she had to figure out how to escape. I don't know where she had gone, but knowing her, she probably wasn't close around. I ran out of the building, trying to block out the smell of death.

"Officer! Officer!" I called out, trying to get his attention.

He turned around swiftly, seeing what the commotion was about. "What is it?"

"Ally! She's alive! She escaped from the hotel! She's somewhere out there and we gotta find her!" I nearly shouted.

"We have to help the urgent care patients here first. But I can call a search and rescue squad to help look for her." He told me.

"Okay great! I'm going out there to look for her myself." I said, wanting to get to her as soon as possible.

"Wait! Wait, you're going to have to tell me what she looks like son." He called out to me.

"Oh, right. Uh well, she's fairly small, has dark brown wavy hair, and brown eyes..." I continued, becoming a little lost in thought at describing her.

"Alright, that should be enough info, cause she probably doesn't look in the best shape, depending on how early she escaped." The officer said quietly.

I nodded, understanding what he meant. He handed me a walkie talkie to keep in touch with him and the rescue squad while I looked for myself. I went towards the back of the hotel, trying to find evidence of Ally. I saw the bloody handprints, but no footsteps stood out from the others. I saw a few drips of blood in the sand a few feet to the left, and they continued for a few more feet, so she must've ran this way. I followed in that direction, looking up and down the beach for any sign of her.

A little while later, my walkie talkie had voices coming through. I picked it up to listen.

"Austin? Austin do you read?" Said the voice.

"Yes, yes I'm here." I said back, eager to hear news of finding Ally.

"We have found her." Said the voice. That's was all I heard and my heart was literally jumping around inside me.

"Where are you? Where is she?" I asked, hoping to be where I could meet up with them.

"Hold on, Ally may not be alive. She is found, but not found in good condition. But if you still want to meet up, we are in front of Sandy Shore Resort." They said.

My excitement dropped to fear as I heard Ally's condition. I did know where that hotel was though, and I wasn't to far from it. I bolted down the beach, running to meet them. I soon saw a crowd of men and women in bright orange vests and rescue gear gathered around a body on the beach. I sped up to get there. Once I got up close, I looked down and saw Ally, bloody and unconscious on the sand. I feeling of sickness hit my gut, and I stared in disbelief.

"She's breathing." Said a man behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, not able to let my eyes leave her. People on the beach were starting to gather around, watching the scene unfold. A couple guys from the squad were trying to keep them minding their own business, while other squad members were giving Ally medicines and stuff. They finally got her on a stretcher and carried her to the back of an ambulance.

"You can sit in the back if you want." A lady told me.

I didn't question it, and hopped in sitting next to Ally. I slipped my hand through one of hers, even though they were bloody and bruised. I held onto her until we arrived at the hospital. I was forced to let go, and sit outside in the waiting room, while they operated on her. Deja vu.

Hours later, I was allowed to see her because she was conscious. I walked into her room slowly, seeing her eyes light up when she saw me. She smiled her heart stopping smile, and I sat beside her.

"Just like old times, huh?" I said with a small laugh.

She rolled her eyes at me. "I guess so."

"I'm sorry Ally." I apologized, knowing for sure now that this was my fault.

"Sorry for what? This wasn't your fault. Just a bad coincidence." She explained.

I sighed with discontent. I looked at her deeply. "It wasn't _just_ a coincidence."

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

"I know who did this to you." I admitted, feeling guilty.

**So there you have it! Sorry to leave ya on another cliffy, but I just had to! Keep hanging in there on those cliffs, and REVIEW! :D**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey guys! Sorry I left you hanging on that cliff so long! I'm gonna try to update the next chapter in just a couple days, cause I'll be starting school this week and I probably can't update as often. I'm so happy you guys like this story and i hope you continue to enjoy it! Read & review! :D**

**_AUSTIN'S POV_**

She looked at me with confusion, wondering how I could possibly know who did this to her.

"Who was it?" She asked, seeming eager to know.

"It was..." I started, sighing once more, "It was Dallas' older brother."

She looked down, and she seemed to be deep in thought. "But, but why? Why me? What did he have against me?"

"Uh, I don't know..." I lied, directing my vision away from her.

"You would have to know. You already said it wasn't a coincidence. You can't say that unless you know why. Tell me what's going on Austin." Ally said sternly, looking me dead in the eye.

I felt guilt crawling through my insides. I can't believe this was my fault. I should've known I would've gotten her into trouble. Because I know how Dallas is. He is the one behind all of this. I couldn't tell her that she nearly died because of me. I could barely tell myself that. And I knew that me being with her was just putting her in more danger. As much as it hurt, I knew what I had to do. Because even still, everything I do is for her.

I leaned over to Ally, grasping one of her hands. I looked her in the eye and said the sentence that put me in unbearable misery.

"I love you Ally, I _really_ do, don't forget that. But...I can't..." I choked up, and a tear slipped out of the corner of my eye. "But I can't be with you anymore."

Her face fell, sending daggers to my heart. She seemed confused and in shock. Finally, the tears began to form in her eyes as well. This only increased my pain, and I couldn't bear it.

I bent down and kissed her forehead gently, letting my lips linger on her skin for a couple extra seconds. "I'm _so_ sorry Ally." I whispered against her forehead.

Then I got up and left the room before I could hurt her, and myself, any longer. I was on the verge of breaking down right there in the lobby. I forced myself to stay strong and stormed out of the building. I remembered my car was still at the hotel. I groaned in frustration and walked all the way there anyway.

It took me a good two hours to get back by foot. It gave me a chance to help clear my head though. Although, two hours of walking still wasn't enough to get rid of the guilt. My guilt was being replaced though. With a burning rage towards Dallas. He has always been a total jerk, but this time, things have gone too far. Innocent people were injured and killed all because of his excessive thirst for revenge.

Dallas was childish. If somebody hurt him, he had to get even and then some. At school, if someone would say even just a small measly insult, he would take it too seriously and beat you up. That was just in elementary and middle school. Once we hit high school, his revenge became more serious. He was taken to juvey more than once, only to be bailed out by his brother. His older brother was his legal guardian because his parents were involved in drug mishaps and other criminal records. Like father like son.

Anyway, back to the point. I was the first guy to ever beat him up. Nobody ever messed with Dallas. So I guess I shocked him when I stood up to him. I remember the look he gave me as he was getting up off the ground, after I hit him. I knew right then and there that I was going to pay. But I was too concerned with Ally at the time to prevent him from getting away with something.

Apparently I crossed his line, and he attacked what he knew would hurt me the most. Ally. His older brother was always in with his schemes, and that's why he sent him to do the dirty work. Dallas knew that if he himself went, he'd be recognized. Dallas usually got a whole group of guys to help out, and honestly, I wouldn't be surprise if his 'revenge' isn't over yet.

I finally got back to my car and prepared to drive back home, expecting the worst from my mom. I felt like my life was ending. I was forced to give up the best thing in my life, because of petty revenge. I was zoning out of the road, becoming lost in my thoughts. I veered off a couple times, but I kept it under control.

I got back home somewhere around four in the morning. I parked the car, and glumly walked to the front door. I grabbed the knob to start walking in, but the door was locked.

"Are you kidding me?!" I yelled to the cool, early morning air.

I couldn't bang on the door to get in, or my parents would come out with a gun or something. I walked around to the back to see if, by chance, the porch door was unlocked. Just my luck, it wasn't. I sighed, throwing my arms up in frustration. I walked back to my car, got in, and leaned my seat back all the way. I tried getting comfortable, preparing to spend the rest of the morning in my car.

I dozed off, but I was taken into a horrible nightmare. Someone continued to hurt Ally, and in turn, hurting me. It was a group of people, destroying everything they walked past. The scene resembled the bloody mess from the hotel. I tried to wake up but I couldn't. Eventually though, I jumped awake, hitting my head on the car ceiling in the process. I looked at the time on my phone, it was only 6:30. I got out of the car and proceeded to walk to the place where nothing bad happens.

When I finally got down to the fort, I thought I was still inside my nightmare. The windows were smashed, the garden was dug up, and red spray paint covered the outside and inside. Some of the walls had words spray painted on them. It read: 'You will pay' 'the worst isn't over yet' 'we will get her'. How did Dallas even know this fort existed? That was besides the point right now. He was way out of line at the hotel, but he has now destroyed my one place of happiness. He was the one that was going to pay, and I was making sure of that.

...

**_ALLY'S POV_**

One minute, I was practically dead on the beach, the next minute, I was waking up in the emergency room. I was a little confused, but I relaxed quickly because it wasn't like I hadn't been in this situation before. I was lying in the bed, floating through my own thoughts, when the door opened and I saw the face I've been wanting to see.

He walked in with a smile on his face and it made me smile too. He sat down next to me, talking about how this was like old times. I rolled my eyes, but I knew it was true. I was a magnet for bad luck. Then he started apologizing, but I didn't understand why. It's not like this was his fault. But then he started acting like it was, saying this wasn't just coincidental. And that he knew who the killer was.

I wondered who it was that did all this. After all, I did vaguely recognize the guy, I'd like to finally figure out who it was. It turns out it was Dallas' older brother. That would explain the recognition. I've only seen his brother once when he came to pick up Dallas from school. But they did look extremely similar. That still didn't explain why he was the one that did this. What did he have against me?

Austin started acting all nervous, and I could tell he was avoiding something. I asked for him to tell me what was going on, but he just sat there. He stared out in space, seeming deep in thought. He finally confronted me, held my hand, told me he loved me, then said that he couldn't be with me anymore. What? Where did that come from?

I immediately felt a pang of hurt in my chest. Tears began to form in my eyes, and I searched his eyes looking for explanation. He kissed my forehead, apologized, then left. The tears wasted no time streaming down my face. What was all this about? If he loves me, why is he leaving me? Maybe he never loved me...

The nurse came in the room, seeing my sobbing episode, asking me what's wrong. I told her what just happened with Austin, giving very little detail. I still didn't think random people needed to know about my life.

"Well I'm sorry things haven't been in your favor recently." The nurse told me. Then she asked a question that sent my mind back to many other painful memories. "We have been trying to contact your parents, with no luck. Do you know where they are or how we can contact them?"

I haven't thought about the bad side of my life in a while. And now, it was like being drowned in a wave of bad memories. I fumbled around trying to find an answer for her that wouldn't cause another breakdown from me.

"Uh, um, I know where they are, but there's no way to contact them." I said quietly.

"Why not? Maybe if you tell where they are, I'm sure we could find a way to contact them?" She responded.

Could this lady not take a hint? "Um, I promise you aren't going to contact either one of them." I said again.

"Are you sure? I..." She continued.

"They're dead!" I yelled, cutting her off.

"Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't know..." She apologized quietly.

"My mom died about four years ago, and my dad died about six months ago." The words slipped out of my mouth almost involuntarily.

"How old are you ma'am?" The nurse asked.

"I turn seventeen in two months. Why does this matter?" I questioned.

"Because if you are under the age of 18, you aren't allowed to live without a guardian. Do you have grandparents or other relatives to live with?" She questioned.

"No, I haven't seen my grandparents or been in contact with them since I was about three years old. Or any of my relatives actually." I answered.

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to be in foster care until you're eighteen." She informed me.

"_What_?!"

...

**Another cliffy! Haha I'm so sorry I just had to. But I promise you won't have to wait long on this one. I'm actually gonna try to update tomorrow if I get lots of reviews. So see ya soon! :D **


	28. Chapter 28

**Okay I updated sooner cause I didn't want to leave you on a cliffy too long! This chapter is long so hang in there. I hope you love it! Read & Review! :D**

**_AUSTIN'S POV_**

Fury raged through my body. What could I possibly do to get even? Is getting even with Dallas going to help anything anyway? It'd probably just make him more mad, which in turn, would cause more problems. But I couldn't just sit here and take this. I huffed a sigh of frustration.

I looked at the walls of the fort, covered in graffiti. Suddenly, the graffiti scene faded away, and the vision of the old original fort took its place. I saw myself running around, playing hide and seek with Ally. I had to rub my eyes to see if I was hallucinating. The vision stayed put, and I watched the scene unfold in front of me. I was looking straight into the past, we were only six years old. I began to remember the scene.

I chased Ally around the fort in circles until we both collapsed from laughter and exhaustion. We sat next to each other in the dirt, trying to catch our breath. Ally had a special stone she was trying to keep me from getting. Eventually I gave up on trying to take it from her, and we agreed that we should put it in our 'special box' to keep for memories. We placed the stone in the box along with many other random items. We dug a hole in the dirt and buried it.

The sun began to set through the trees in the scene, even though in real time, it was early in the morning. I continued to watch the past. We saw the light changing and knew we had to go home. We stepped close and gave each other a small kiss on the lips, said our goodbyes, and went home. I smiled at the memory, still watching the scenery change. The scene before me flashed forward about ten years from the last scene. Ally walked down to the fort alone, dressed in her baggy sweatshirt and jeans. My attention became more closely focused on this vision, because I didn't recognize it.

She stopped and ran her hands over the soggy wood on the old fort. She bent down and picked up a piece of wood laying on the ground and picked up a box out of the hole. It was the box that we just buried in the last scene. She opened it slowly and examined the contents of the box. She began to cry silently and then replaced the items, leaving them looking undisturbed. Then I showed up. I then recognized the scene, but Ally must've just gotten down there earlier than me that day.

All the visions and flashbacks faded away, and the current scene of the remodeled and vandalized fort reappeared. I sighed again knowing that I couldn't just give all this up. The magic of this fort still existed, and it was telling me, or rather showing me, that there were too many memories to throw away. I needed Ally in my life. I needed my childhood to keep me grounded at times. I needed to confront Dallas personally, and just talk to him. Fights weren't going to solve problems, they would just cause them.

I walked back up to my house and tried to unlock the door again. This time it was open, so I knew my parents were awake.

"AUSTIN MONICA MOON!" I heard my mother yell. Here we go again. "What on earth is with you lately?! All this running off and disappearing for days at a time?! Am I going to have to take your car away?!"

"No, I was helping Ally again." I grumbled. I wasn't in the mood for yelling and lectures.

"Well Ally just seems to be your excuse for everything nowadays!" She yelled again.

"You don't understand mom!" My voice rising at her.

"Well then tell me what's going on Austin! How am I supposed to understand if all you do is run away and never talk about it?!" She argued.

"Because these situations are life and death! Okay?! I don't have time to sit around and explain my life to you! This is twice that Ally has almost been dead! _Dead_, Mom! I'm trying my hardest to be there for her," I said quieter, dropping my gaze to the floor. "but I know now that I was the one making it worse. So I'm done with it okay? No more problems with me!" I said in a sarcastic voice as I walked away and slammed the door to my room.

I left my mom standing speechless in the living room, and I climbed out my window, got in my car and drove away. Yes, I'm doing the exact thing I just got yelled at for. I don't care at all. I drove all the way to Dallas' house. I sat in his driveway for a few moments before working up the courage to finally get out of the car and ring the doorbell.

I heard the tone echo through the house. My heart beat sped up, not sure what to expect from him. As soon as he sees me, he'll know that I know that he's behind this. I heard creaking and footsteps, and my heart pounded with each step. The lock clicked at the door and I saw the knob turn slowly. I looked up and the opening door revealed a very messed up looking Dallas. His hair was frizzed out in every direction, his clothes were old and stained, and he looked like he hasn't showered in multiple days.

The look he gave me was an unexpected one. I expected him to be mad or threatening. Instead, he was rubbing sleep out of his eyes, and he just looked bummed.

"Whaddya want Moon?" He asked, his voice rough and hoarse.

"Uh, I uh...I came here to talk to you." I said, clearing my throat.

"Well then start talking. I don't got all day." He grumbled.

I decided to just jump right in and get straight to the point. "Why would you do it?" I asked deep and seriously.

"Do what?" He asked, his voice getting slightly more unstable. Nerves were kicking in, cause he began to twitch his fingers, and his eyes moved away from mine.

"You know what. Why did you do it? It was wrong. It was sick." I could've continued, but I let him have a chance to say something.

He stood there, picking at his fingers, eyes glued to the floor. I thought he was going to slam the door in my face, or lash out against me, but instead, he just quietly said, "I don't know."

"Then why'd you do it?" I questioned.

"Come here." He sighed, pulling me into his house. He shut the door and sat down on the couch. I took a seat in the chair across from him. I raised my eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

He sighed again, acting as if there was something he didn't want to admit. He waited a moment, then began to speak.

"I wasn't thinking. My mind was in a different place. My parents raised me up to believe that the world was our enemy. I believed them because I had no one else to believe." He started. "That day that the police took my parents away, I swore I would do anything to get back at them. I promised my parents I would see them again. But since they weren't coming out of jail anytime soon, the only to see them was for me to come to them. And I figured committing crime was the easiest way to do that, because then, in a way, I'd be getting revenge against the cops too. I knew it was wrong, but I felt like it was the only way to get to my parents. But now I realize that my parents were the ones who were wrong. They raised me up believing ridiculous things that were untrue. And now, because of them, they're in jail and my only brother is dead." He finished as his gaze fell to the floor.

I had no idea he was in such a rough mental place. I almost felt bad for him. But I couldn't make myself feel bad for him, no matter what the case. Ally is too important to me for that. But looking at his face, I could tell that he was honestly sorry about his actions.

"Look man, I'm really sorry that you've had to go through all of this. But that doesn't mean I forgive you. How can I trust that you won't do this stuff anymore?" I questioned.

"If I was you I wouldn't forgive me either. I'm surprised you haven't tried to kill me yet." He chuckled. My glare stayed hardened on him and he refrained the laugh. "But seriously though, I know what I did was wrong. Way wrong. And I don't want you to forgive me for it. But I do want you to know that I'm done with this. I don't want to end up with my parents...or my brother. I never wanted this lifestyle. I grew up knowing it as the only way to live, but now that I know the right way, I intend to live that way." He said, his face sincerely apologetic.

No matter how much I wanted to hate him and rip his head off, I knew he was being honest. And I don't like to hold grudges. "I believe ya bro."

His lips curved to a smile and he looked at me with surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah really." I said. We did our handshake-highfive thing, and I patted him on the back as I got up to leave.

"Is Ally okay?" He asked. I stopped in my tracks at the door. That was the first time I think I've ever heard him use her real name.

"Yeah she's okay. But she wasn't until after her trip to the hospital." I said with a little edginess.

"You really care about her don't you?" He asked.

"Yeah, I do." I said, my lips forming into a smile instinctively.

"I'm sorry about being so hard on her too. If you see her again, make sure she knows that." He smiled. It was a genuine smile. I nodded and walked out. I got in my car and started back towards home.

Something was different when I was at Dallas' house. The very air was different. There was that feeling of trust. I knew I could trust him, and believe what he said. I never had any doubts about it. He spoke the truth. The atmosphere had been comfortable. I've never been able to feel like that around him. As I thought of this, I felt a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders. The weight of my fear of his revenge had been lifted. I knew that this feud was over. And most of all, I knew Ally was safe.

As soon as I got home, I dialed the number of the hospital she was at. The voice of a receptionist came through. I ignored her questions and asked if Ally was still there. She paused a moment then answered yes. I asked if I could speak with her and they transferred me to the phone in her room.

"Hello?" I heard her voice ring in my ear.

"Ally!" I said a little too excitedly. "Ally I'm coming to get you from the hospital."

"Why?" She asked bitterly. Oh yeah, I remembered I kinda broke up with her last time at the hospital.

"I know, I know, I've got a lot of explaining to do. But I promise I'll tell you about when I get there. Kay? Love you, bye!" I said, in a hurry to drive all the way back down there to her.  
...…...

Five hours later, I got there. I parked my car and went inside the building. I remembered the room she was in, and I made my way there. I walked in to find Ally reading a magazine. She didn't look particularly happy to see me, she was just waiting for an explanation.

"Well, you gonna tell me what's going on?" She said, closing up her magazine.

"It's a long story." I began.

"I've got time." She said with a smug grin.

I explained the entire story to her, not missing a single detail. I could tell she didn't want to be forgiving, considering I was going to leave her. But once she heard the reasoning behind it, she seemed a little more easygoing.

"Well thanks for trying to protect me, I guess." She smiled.

"Now that you know the story, and I know Dallas shouldn't be bothering you anymore, I'd like to get back together with you if that's okay." I told her.

"Of course it's okay. I never thought we officially broke up anyway." She laughed.

"Good, now lets get you out of here." I said. Hospitals always gave me the creeps, and I just wanted to get Ally and leave. Before she could say anything else, a nurse walked in. She began to speak to Ally.

"I've been contacting foster homes, but none I've found are open right now. I don't know how much longer we can keep you here, but we're trying our best." The nurse explained. What was she talking about? Foster homes?

"Um, I'm taking Ally home." I spoke up.

"And who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Austin Moon." I told her.

She looked through a file of papers on her desk. "No Austin Moon in here. We are only legally allowed to sign her out to family and relatives. And as far as her records go, you aren't related in any way. Sorry Mr. Moon." She explained to me.

Ally was mouthing something to me from behind the nurse. Her lips read, '_think of something, I want to leave.' _A crazy, but believable idea popped into my head.

"That's because I'm her fiancé!" I spit out. I hoped the nurse, or Ally, didn't think I was crazy. Although, by the look Ally was giving me, I don't think I should be getting my hopes up.

"Her fiancé? _Really_? How old are you?" She questioned.

"Nineteen." I lied. I didn't think I could pass off as much older than that.

She seemed to be contemplating my statement. "Well that would explain you not being in her records yet." She said to herself. She turned to look at Ally for some kind of approval. Ally just smiled and nodded. She still seemed a little shocked about my statement.

"Well, I guess you can sign her out then. You kids sure are young though..." She said handing me the papers.

I signed my name on the sheet, then passed it to Ally for her to sign her name. The nurse watched us closely as we wrote.

"Wait just a minute." The nurse blurted. "If you two are engaged, then why aren't either one of you wearing rings?"

My mind went blank as I tried to think of an excuse. But before I could think of anything, Ally piped up.

"Uh, we aren't wearing rings cause we came here to go to the beach, and we didn't want to lose them in the ocean. So we left them at home." Ally explained. "_Right_ Austin?" She said turning towards me, giving me a knowing look.

"Yep. That's it." I agreed.

The nurse grabbed the papers from us and shook her head as she left the room. I knew she didn't believe a word of any of that. I looked down at Ally, who was already looking at me. Then we both started busting out with laughter. I grabbed her hand and walked her out of the hospital to my car. We buckled up, and we were still laughing.

"When are we getting married?" Ally asked between laughs.

"Whenever you want _Mrs. Moon_!" I laughed back.

We finally calmed ourselves, and turned up the radio. We jammed out to music for multiple hours. I was actually beginning to get tired after a while.

"You can drive right?" I asked Ally.

"I know _how_ to drive, but I don't actually have a license." She answered.

"Good enough for me. It's your turn to drive." I said.

"Austin!?" She said, hitting my arm.

"What?" I asked back, rubbing my arm in mock hurt.

"I'm not driving without a license! That's illegal!" She protested.

"And so is checking out of a hospital with a fake husband. I think we'll be fine." I reasoned.

"It wasn't a husband. It was a fiancé. Now give me the wheel." She corrected me. I smirked at her.

I pulled the car over, and we switched seats. I leant my seat all the way back, getting comfortable. Ally buckled up in the drivers seat, recollecting her memory of driving a car. We started moving towards home not too long afterwards.

...

"Don't fall asleep." Ally said, waking me up.

"_Whyyy_?" I whined, turning in my seat, trying to get more comfortable.

"Because then I won't have anyone to talk to." She said.

"You can talk to me while I'm asleep." I argued.

She looked down at me and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Do what you want."

I looked up at her. She was pouting her lip, yet still very closely focused on the road. The light was gone now, the road only lit up by street lights. The orange glow of those lights highlighted Ally's face as she drove. She was beautiful, and I realized how lucky of a guy I was to have her. I leaned my seat back up, and looked at her.

She turned to look at me. "I thought you were going to sleep."

"Nah, you're prettier to look at than to dream about." I said, winking at her.

The night didn't hide the blush on her cheeks as she smiled. She focused her attention back on the road. Man, I love road trips.

**There you have it! I realized by the end of this that I didn't do Ally's POV. Sorry about that if it bothers you. I have to say that this story will be coming to a close in no more than two to three chapters, and I would like to get to around 300 reviews by the end of this if that's not too much to ask. I have 99 followers, so if everyone reviewed at least once, I could reach my goal. Remember I love you guys! See you at chapter 29! Thank you for all your support! :D**


	29. Chapter 29

**Your reviews have made my life! I got over my goal of 300 thanks to some very special people! Special thanks to _toritwilight504_ & ! You guys were really sweet and supportive so thank you lots! I hope you continue to read, enjoy, and review this story because I've loved writing it! So please continue! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't anything except the plot. **

**_ALLY'S POV_**

I was driving back into town early the next morning. I didn't have a license, but Austin was tired and wanted me to drive, an since I knew how, I decided to just go ahead and do it. Well, I didn't want to, but Austin convinced me. It's hard to say no to your _fiancé_ after all.

I began to recognize the buildings and road names around, so I knew I was getting close to home. Wow, it seems like I haven't been home in a long time. Then again, that's probably because I didn't really have a home. Looks like I'm going back to sleeping in the shed. I was about to sigh, but I held it in, because Austin was awake. I didn't want him to worry about me, because I felt bad about being the cause of all the problems. He's given up so much for me lately, running around trying to help me, so I wanted to give him a break. I was going to try to stay out of trouble, and keep a happy demeanor.

"You missed the turn." Austin said, his voice interrupting my thoughts.

"What?" I asked, snapping back to reality.

"You were supposed to turn right there, but you missed it." He told me.

"Oh, I'll turn around." I said in a monotone voice.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What makes you think I wouldn't be?" I lied.

"Because I know you. And you seemed distracted. Like something was bothering you." He explained.

It amazed me at how well he knew me. He could tell when something was wrong, even when I was trying my hardest not to show it. But I still didn't want to admit it to him. "Well, I'm fine, just a little tired."

He gave me a knowing look, and I knew he didn't believe me. But he let the subject go anyway. I finally pulled into Austin's driveway after what felt like forever. We got out of the car and I walked towards my house.

"Hey, you wanna stay over at my place for a little while?" Austin asked me.

I looked over at my dreary, disgusting house. I turned back to Austin. "Yeah, I guess I could stay for awhile."

He smiled and walked me into his house. I hadn't been in his house since I was like four years old. Yet, it still looked the same as I remembered it.

"_Austin_!" I heard his mom growl. She walked into the room with an angry look on her face. Then she saw me, and refrained her next yell. "I mean...Austin! You're home!" She said cheerily, immediately changing her tone.

"Hey mom!" Austin said with fake enthusiasm.

"You must be Ally! Wait, _Ally_? Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're that little girl that used to run around with my little Austy!" She said, resisting the urge to pinch my cheeks. I let out a giggle, looking over at Austin.

"_Mo-om_!" He whined, obviously embarrassed at his mother's nickname for him.

"Mike! Get in here! Look how much Ally has grown up!" She yelled through the house to her husband.

I smiled as I looked over at Austin again. _'I'm sorry_', he mouthed. I laughed again, '_It's okay_' I mouthed back. Austin's dad walked in the room.

"Ally! So nice to see you again!" He greeted me, shaking my hand.

"Nice to see you too Mr. Moon!" I said back.

"Please, call me Mike!" He insisted.

"Ooh! I need a picture! Hang on I'm gonna go get my camera!" Mimi said, running upstairs.

"Guys! Give her a break!" Austin complained to his parents.

Mimi came back down the stairs with her camera. "Alright you two, picture time!"

Austin put his arm around me, and I leaned against him for our picture.

"Aww, you guys are adorable! It's been so long since I've seen you two together. By the way, Ally, how are your parents? I haven't seen them in a while either." Mimi asked.

I felt a sharp pang of hurt in my chest. Austin's face hardened. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the stairs. "C'mon Ally. We're just gonna go upst..."

"No Austin." I stopped him. He gave me a look, questioning me. "It's okay."

I walked back towards the living room to confront his parents. "You guys were like my second parents growing up. So you deserve to know. My parents aren't here anymore. My mom died of a heart attack four years ago, and my dad died of an alcohol problem about six months ago." I explained quietly.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry, I had no idea." Mimi said, coming over to hug me.

"It's okay, it's just...OH MY GOSH, MY DAD!" I yelled suddenly.

Everyone started questioning me and started to ask what was going on. "Austin, can I speak to you outside for a minute?" I said.

"Yeah sure." He said, quickly following me out the door.

We shut the door behind us when we got outside. "Well? What's going on?" Austin questioned.

"My dad. He's still laying dead in my house! It's been six months! _Six months_ Austin!" I whisper-yelled in a panic.

"What are you gonna do?" Austin asked.

"Well, we gotta get him out!" I said.

"Now?" He asked.

"Well yeah, I can't sit around knowing my dad is laying around all gross and decomposed in my garbage dump of a house!" I exclaimed.

"What are you even going to do with him?" Austin asked, beginning to look a little disgusted.

"I don't know." I admitted. I drew a blank thinking of what I actually would do with him.

"Is everything okay out here?" Austin's parents asked, stepping out of the front door.

"Um...yeah! All good here!" I said, trying to convince them everything was okay. Austin just nodded along in agreement.

"Hey mom, can Ally stay for dinner? Great, how 'bout you make that really good beef roast you always make?" Austin said, rushing his sentences, not giving his mom a chance to talk.

"Austin that takes a really long time to make, how about we just order pizza?" Mimi reasoned.

"We just had pizza, and Ally doesn't mind waiting a while do ya Ally?" Austin said, turning to look at me, giving me a look that said to agree with him.

"Yeah, sure! I don't mind to wait." I said, nodding.

"Well, okay then. If...if that's what you kids want..." She said, giving us an unsure look.

We just continued to nod, and Austin even threw in a thumbs up. They both walked back inside, still looking at us like we had serious problems.

"Well that gives us three hours. You better think fast." Austin told me.

We walked over to my house, and I immediately began to feel my breakfast try to make a reappearance. "Sorry about the smell, were gonna have to deal with it. Just hold your breath as much as possible. And try not to pass out." I informed him.

I pushed the door open, and took a few steps into the horrid house. I hadn't stepped door in this house for about six months either. The floor creaked, and I heard small animals scurrying around. Sounded something like squirrels, raccoons, or rats.

"So uh, where...where is he?" Austin asked me.

"Upstairs in his bedroom. In the middle of the floor." I said quietly.

We walked up there, and just as I was about to open the door, I stopped. I stepped back from the door.

"You okay? What's going on?" He questioned.

"I'm scared Austin." I whispered.

He stepped closer to me, wrapping an arm around me. "Of what, I mean, you've already seen him...in this state...haven't you?"

"Yeah, but that was when it was recent. It's been half a year, there's animals living in the house. I've never seen an eaten or decomposed body, and I don't plan to. Especially not if it's my own dad." I explained.

"Well I thought you hated him anyway." Austin said.

"I thought I did, but after losing him, it made me think of all the things I loved about him. He never was a bad guy, he was just upset about losing mom. He took up drinking to try and get his mind off of her, and the alcohol made him do the insane things that he did. But he always tried to be the best he could be, even if we were never that close. I don't know, the point is, he was my dad and I loved him, no matter what the case. And I'm afraid to see what's inside that door. Because I won't be able to unsee it." I explained.

"Well do you want me to go in first? If its bad, I'll just tell you it's better not to go in. If I think you can handle it, I'll let you come in and help me decide what to do with him." Austin suggested.

"Okay, if you think _you_ can handle it." I told him.

He nodded and cracked the door open. He walked in the room, pulling up the door behind him so I wouldn't see. He was only in for a few seconds then came back out with a bit of a pale look on his face. All he did was shake his head 'no'. A tear slipped out of my eye, and he pulled me into a hug.

"Do you have a blanket? I think the best thing to do is cover him up, and take him out." Austin said.

"Yeah hang on." I walked into my old room and grabbed my old comforter. I walked back to where Austin was. "Will this work?"

"Yeah. Wait out here." Austin said, walking back into the room. He came out a few minutes later, revealing my mummified father. "Now what do you intend to do with him?"

"I guess he deserves a proper burial, right?" I suggested.

"Yeah, so where are you gonna do it? In the backyard?" Austin asked.

"Ew no!" I exclaimed, slapping Austin in the arm. "We should call somebody and give a traditional funeral service and have him buried in a casket at a church or something."

"Oh...right. You know that costs a lot of money, don't you?" Austin pointed out.

"Oh yeah. Well I don't want to bury him in my own backyard! That's just not right! We've gotta think of something else." I thought.

"Well I've got something in mind, but I don't think for a minute that you'll go through with it." Austin said, looking at me with a grin that I found discomforting.

"What is it." I said with a sigh, closing my eyes, waiting for the worst.

"I say we sneak into the graveyard at that big church on the hill. Get a few shovels, flowers, whatever, and give him our own little ceremony before anybody finds out." Austin explained his plan.

"So you're saying we sneak into a graveyard, dig a hole, bury my dad in it, and act like nothing ever happened?" I questioned.

"Yep." Austin confirmed.

"Well that still doesn't seem right, but I don't see any other options. So I'm in." I sighed.

"Okay, we'll sneak out tonight after my parents go to sleep. Now all we need is a box of some sort to bury him in." Austin said.

"Oh, we've got a big long box downstairs. I don't know what it was for, I think our Christmas tree or something. But I think it'll fit him." I suggested.

Austin agreed and we walked into the basement to get the box. It looked just the right size, so Austin took it back up and laid my dad into it. He closed up the box and we left it just inside my front door. That way, tonight we could just get it and go.

"I guess we better get back over to my place before my parents think I ran away or something." Austin said.

We walked out of the house, gasping for fresh air on the front lawn. "Ew, our clothes smell like rotting alcohol. Your mom is gonna think we were drinking or something." I told Austin, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

"Well what are we gonna do about it?" Austin asked.

"I don't know about you, but I'm changing into different clothes." I said, walking down to the shed in the backyard.

After I changed, I met Austin back in the front yard. He was literally rolling in the grass, trying to mask the smell on his clothes. I shook my head and laughed at his childishness. I grabbed his arm, pulling him up of the grass, and dragging him back towards his house.

"Lets go in the back entrance. That way I can get to my room and change clothes before they notice the smell." Austin suggested.

We walked around to the back of his house and he peeked in the window to see if his parents were in the room. They were sitting on the couch watching TV. Austin opened the door slowly and quietly and took a couple steps into the room.

He grabbed my hand to lead me through the house. He walked on his tippy-toes behind the couch. Once he got past the couch, he bolted up the stairs, still being swift and silent. I kept up behind him and we made it to his room. He had already flung off his shirt, while scrounging through his closet for something else to change into. I tried to keep my eyes looking in a different direction than him. I knew I was emotionally attracted to him, but saying I wasn't physically attracted to him was a lie.

He finally came back out of his room, fully clothed in different attire. Now that I had relaxed, I began to smell the mouthwatering scent of beef roast.

"Smells good doesn't it?" Austin smiled at me, noticing the way I was sniffing the air.

"Yeah, really good. Are we actually staying to eat it, or were you just saying that to get her off our backs?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me? I might've actually been trying to get her to leave us alone, but she cooks one mean beef roast. I wouldn't pass up eating it for anything." Austin laughed.

"Really? Not for anything?" I asked doubting his last statement.

"Well, maybe not _anything_..." He trailed off in a seductive voice as he began to step closer to me.

"Austin!" I shrieked, pushing him away.

"Kidding! I'm kidding!" He laughed, holding his hands up in mock innocence.

I just rolled my eyes and smiled at him anyway. "How much more time do we have until the beef roast is ready anyway?" I asked, changing the subject.

He shrugged his shoulders, then leant over the railing of the stairs, looking down towards the living room. "Mom! When is dinner gonna be ready?" He shouted loudly down the stairs.

"In about forty five minutes!" His mom yelled back.

He turned to look at me. "Does that answer your question?"

"What are we gonna do until then?" I asked.

"I don't know." He said walking into his room. "Oh wait! The game room!" He shouted, walking back out of his room.

I gave him a questioning look.

"Just follow me." He said.

We walked back down the stairs, through the room his parents were in, and down another set of stairs. There was a big screen on the wall, along with big couches an bean bag chairs. They had a second kitchen down there as well. Looks like Trish isn't my only rich friend.

"Welcome to the game room!" He said in a deep announcer-like voice.

"Wow, this place is awesome!" I gushed, admiring all the components of the room.

"I know right? So what do you wanna play? I own pretty much every game under the sun." Austin stated.

"Do you really think I know about games? You're gonna have to tell me what these games are about. Or just pick one, and I'll play it." I reasoned.

"Okay, I'll randomly pick three games, and you pick which one you want to play." Austin decided.

I huffed a sigh. "Okay..."

"Alright. These are your choices. We've got Crash City 3, which is a car racing game. There's Just Dance 4, which is a dancing game, obviously. And finally, there's Guitar Hero." Austin listed.

"Isn't Guitar Hero kind of old?" I pointed out.

"Hey, Guitar Hero is a classic. Now what do you wanna play?" He asked.

"I don't know, they all sound fun. But I've had enough driving for a while, so no Crash City. I can't dance or play guitar for my life, so just do the dance one I guess. It seems easier." I decided.

"Okay, Just Dance it is." Austin said, putting in the game. He handed me a controller.

"Don't laugh at me if I suck at this." I informed him.

"Hey, if I laugh at you, just know I'm laughing because I love you and your suckiness." He told me.

I rolled my eyes. "Just start the game."

...…...

We spent the next half hour or more playing that game. Just laughing and dancing like little kids. I actually turned out to be better than I thought. We both flopped down on the couch with laughter and exhaustion.

"When did you get good at dancing?" Austin asked me.

"I don't know, I guess it just came naturally." I laughed.

Austin continued to laugh as he turned to look at me. I smiled as, I too, looked at him. We were close in proximity as we laid on the couch. Our laughter died down and we settled into the couch, still locked in each other's gaze. It felt as if we should've said something to one another, we wanted to say something. But no words escaped our lips as we became hypnotized by the other.

"Austin! Ally! Dinner is ready!" Mimi's voice snapped us back to reality.

Austin let out a breathy laugh as he flicked his eyes away from mine. His cheeks turned a subtle shade of pink as he rose from the couch. His lips curved to a grin as he waited for me by the door. I don't know what had just happened between us, but I had never seen Austin blush, and I only imagined what could be going on in his mind. There was only one thought in my mind right now though. Whatever just happened between us was unexplainable, but I knew I wanted to live in that moment forever.

**Okay! 29 chapters down, one, maybe two, to go! YAY ME! *excessive clapping* sorry, London Tipton moment there. Haha anybody remember that show? Anyways, I hope you liked it! I left you with another Auslly ending! Review and tell me what you thought! Thanks so much! :D**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey guys! I'm finally back! I'm SOOOOO sorry I haven't been able to update. My iPod had a lot of problems and I keep my stories in my iPod and upload them from there, so yeah. Lots of problems. I had to completely restore my iPod and rewrite the story and log back in and so on. But I finally got around to updating this chapter and I hope you love it! This is the last chapter, so Read & Review! :D**

**AUSTIN'S POV**

My mind raced for an explanation as I waited for Ally at the stairs. One minute we were laughing and playing games, the next minute, silence was cast over us. I have no idea what it was. I felt as if I should've said something, but I was mesmerized by her eyes. I don't know what I wanted to say anyway. I don't know how, but some connection was holding us captive in that moment.

The mere fact that she could put a spell over my brain like that, reminded me why I loved her so much. She finally seemed to snap out of the trance as well and followed me up the stairs. I sat next to Ally at the dinner table and my mom served our food.

"Not very talkative this evening are we? Everything alright?" My mom asked.

"Yes mother, everything is swell. The breathtaking aroma of your cooking just leaves me speechless." I said properly and sarcastically to be funny and try to break the ice.

It must've worked because Ally coughed and began to spit her drink out. At first I thought she was choking, but she was actually laughing. She looked at me with a confused, yet happy face. I then understood that she was laughing at my sarcastic attempt to be proper. After her drink had been completely released from her mouth, she just began to openly giggle. It was actually really adorable.

My mom handed her napkins and she wiped up her mess. I began to laugh at the sound of her laughter, and soon, everyone was laughing. There was no more strange tension in the air and we had a good dinner. My mom asked if we wanted dessert, but we denied considering we had plans to accomplish tonight. I needed my parents sound asleep as early as possible so Ally and I could get up to the graveyard.

I could tell that my mom was wondering why Ally was still hanging around. I debated on asking if she could spend the night, but I knew my mom would begin to assume that I'd be doing more than sleeping in my room. I didn't have any intention of that happening, but my mom just wouldn't let a girl sleep over.

Though, I didn't want Ally to have to sleep in the shed in her backyard either. I knew the inside of her house was a definite no, so I'd have to think of something else. I immediately remembered the fort in the woods. I had already cleaned the spray paint off not too long ago, and all furniture and other appliances were installed and fully functional.

"Mom, I'm gonna go walk Ally home, I'll be back in a few." I informed her.

She just nodded and told me to be back in no longer than twenty minutes. I grabbed Ally's hand and walked her out of the house.

"Remember that surprise I told you that you'd get to see when you got back from the beach?" I asked Ally.

"Mm-hm." She hummed.

"Well I think it's time for you to be surprised." I told her.

She giggled like an excited little kid. "Yay!"

I laughed at her giddiness and guided her down the familiar path in the woods. Once we approached the fort, I told her to close her eyes. She closed them.

"Now, no peeking okay?" I instructed.

"Okay..." She smiled.

I walked over and fixed a little flower in the garden very quickly, and stood in front of the fort in my best presenting pose.

"Open your eyes." I instructed.

I watched as Ally lowered her hands and gasped deeply. Her eyes sparkled in delight at the renewed view.

"Ta-Da!" I smiled.

"Oh my god, Austin, this is beautiful!" She gushed.

"So you really like it huh?" I asked, admiring her excitement.

"Of course I do! How did you do all this?" She asked, her smile growing wider on her face.

"Just a little renovation, that's all. The stuff inside was provided through a friend." I explained.

"There's _more_ inside?!" She asked, her excitement level doubling.

"Yeah, come check it out." I said, guiding her to the door.

We walked in and she was awestruck at the design and the furniture. I showed her the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and living room area. It was getting late and I knew the stars and moon were beginning to appear in the sky. It was the perfect time for me to show Ally the upstairs viewing deck thingy.

"Come on, there's one last thing." I told her.

"There can't possibly be more." She protested.

I just laughed as I opened the hatch to the upstairs. I let her walk up first and I followed close behind. The bright stars came into full view as we walked out on the deck.

"_Wow_..." I heard Ally murmur under her breath.

I've seen her beauty in daylight and sunsets, but the stars are definitely her setting. Her chocolate brown eyes were like mirrors to those stars. Every single one reflected clearly in her eyes. Her ivory skin seemed to glow under the light of the moon. She turned to look at me, the smile still covering her face.

"Thank you so much Austin, this is amazing. You really went all out." She said quietly.

"Hey, for you? Anything." I smiled.

She shook her head at my cheesiness and leaned into my side, wrapping her arms around me. My heart still fluttered at her touch and I gladly returned the hug. I began to step away after a minute, but I noticed Ally was still snuggled up to me, holding her grip around me. So I settled back into the hug. I turned my head to look down at her, and her eyes were closed and she had subtle smile playing on her lips. I watched her for a few more moments then went back to just holding her. I kissed the top of her head as we swayed back and forth under the stars.

I heard her giggle after I kissed her, though our position was still unchanged. I didn't even bother to question it right now because I was too comfortable. I had been longing for this type of feeling with her again. With everything that had been going on, I haven't had a chance to feel like this. But now that the opportunity is here, I'm not going to waste it.

"Hey, look up here." I whispered into her hair.

She turned her head slowly to face me. The stars were still being reflected in her eyes, and that smile still hadn't faded. My lips curved slightly into a smile as well as I began to lean down. I wondered if Ally would be okay with this, because we haven't  
acted very 'coupley' in a pretty long time. She didn't seem very intimidated, in fact, her smile seemed to grow wider. So I continued.

My heart buzzed and my mind went numb when her warm lips connected with mine. All this chaos was happening inside me, yet I felt perfectly calm and at ease at the same time. Something was different between us during this kiss. It was stronger, more serious. This wasn't just puppy love anymore. Not a crush. No more simple high school romance. This was love. I was_ in love_ with her.

I've said that before, but I was always unsure if it was really true. But at this point, I've been through too much and experienced more than most seventeen year olds. I've witnessed crime, death, and murder firsthand. Seeing and experiencing these things in the world makes you realize the maturity in situations. It makes the witty childish thoughts go away. Once you enter maturity, you know that if you think or know something, its not just your young conscious making you believing things. So now I can rightfully and truthfully say that I am in love with Ally Dawson.

There was no other way to explain it. The amount of fear and protectiveness I had felt when Ally was in the woods and at the beach, the way I felt when she laughed or smiled, the constant feeling that I need to be by her side. What else do you call that?

Whatever you want to call it, this girl in my arms is my life, the reason I am who I am. And if she were to ever disappear, my life wouldn't be worth living. I no longer have the strength to walk away or leave her alone. I belong by her side and she belongs next to mine.

As if reading my thoughts, Ally spoke up and whispered, "I love you, _so_ much. More than you even know."

I chuckled. "Trust me, I know the feeling."

She laughed a little as she rose on tip toes and kissed me again through her laughter. "C'mon loverboy, I think it's time for you to go home."

I instantly remembered my mom's twenty minute rule that I just blew out of the water. "Oh yeah, I gotta go. Get some sleep if you want, I'll be back in a couple hours or so, depending on how long it takes for my parents to go to sleep. Okay?"

"Got it. So this is my new home now?" She asked, like a shy child.

"Yep, all yours. Don't worry though, you won't be alone here for long. I'll turn eighteen in a month." I said, winking at her.

"I know, I turn eighteen in a month too remember? Our birthdays are only a day apart." She laughed.

"How could I forget? That's my second favorite day of the year!" I proclaimed.

"Second favorite? What's your first?" Ally asked curiously.

"_My_ birthday." I said with a smug grin on my face.

"Oh go home already!" She chuckled, pushing me out the door.

She kept pushing me until I was out of the front door and out in the dark woods. I attempted to turn and hug her goodnight, but she had beat me to it. I wrapped my arms around her, told her goodnight, and gave her a small kiss. It hurt for me to leave her alone in the woods, but I knew she was living in the safest place possible. So I convinced myself to take the final steps to my house.

I knew as soon as I walked in, my mom would yell at me for taking about forty minutes to walk out with Ally. I smoothed out my hair and my clothes so she wouldn't get any crazy ideas. I walked in and didn't see or hear my mom, so I just walked straight to my room.

But to my expected surprise, my mom was already in my room, sitting on my bed, giving me a firm look. I huffed a sigh, knowing I'd have to wait through some sort of lecture before I could sleep.

"Do you know what time it is?" My mom asked calmly.

"Yeah I know I'm later than I should be. Can I just go to sleep?" I complained.

"I don't make a curfew just because its fun, Austin. I need you to be back home and not wandering around late at night with some girl." She scolded.

"But it's not just _some girl_ Mom! It's Ally! You've known her as long as I have, we've been best friends growing up together our whole lives! It's not just some stranger, you can trust us." I protested.

"But you are getting older, and you're dating and...I don't need to give you this speech do I?" She told me.

"No, you don't. But if you trust me, then just know, that that's not at all what we have in mind. Okay?" I explained.

"I do trust you Austin, but you make it so hard for me to trust you sometimes." She claimed.

I walked further into my room, hoping my mom would get the memo to leave.

"Well, your dad's already asleep, and I'm about to go join him. Goodnight Austin." My mom finally said, shutting the door on the way out.

I looked at the time and the clock read eleven thirty. I figured it would be safe to wait an hour before I left. Plus I'm actually pretty tired and I could use a good little nap. I set the alarm on my phone for an hour from now and I was out like a light.

...

It didn't feel like much longer until I was groggily turning over to silence the sound of my alarm. I rubbed sleep out of my eyes and looked at the time again. It was twelve thirty five. I knew I had to get a move on cause we only had so much time to get this done and over with.

I walked up to my door, and opened it as silently as possible. I creeped down the stairs and through the back living room door. I was hoping my parents didn't hear me. Once I was free of the house, I ran through the darkness to get to the fort. I walked in the front door and went towards the bedroom where Ally was most likely sleeping.

I pushed the door open silently, and walked up to her bed to find her sound asleep, curled up under the covers. I smiled as bent down on my knees to her level. I rested my arms on the side of the bed and began to try and wake her up.

"Ally. Ally wake up." I whispered, while nudging her shoulder.

After a few more attempts of this, her eyes slowly opened. She looked around a few times as if unsure if she was awake or in a dream.

"Ally, it's time to go. You gotta get up if you wanna do this." I informed.

She sat up and stretched, eyes still glazed with sleep and fatigue. After a few minutes of waking up, she followed me out the door and up to her house. She stood back as I reached into the doorway and pulled out the box holding her deceased father. I lugged it across the street and into the bed of our truck. I had the back of the truck already stocked with shovels and some flowers. I even had a big rock on which I wrote: "Lester Dawson, 1968-2013"

I made sure to keep my headlights off while backing out of my driveway. Once I got out on the road, I clicked them on. The whole way there, Ally didn't say a word. She gazed out the window with a distant look on her face. She might've just been tired, but I knew that emotions were probably running high right now. I understood her feelings, so I just left her alone at the moment.

I parked on a little trail around the outside gate at the cemetery. The fence around the area wasn't more than about three feet high, so I was able to lift the box up and over to the other side, then Ally and I stepped over. I had a shovel for each of us. Ally took one from my hand and we spent a little over an hour digging a hole deep enough and wide enough for her dad.

We were muddy and exhausted, but we had Ally's dad placed perfectly in the ground. I walked to the truck to get the gravestone and the flowers. I returned to find Ally sunk to her knees in the mud, crying over the makeshift grave. I laid the stuff next to her and placed an arm over her shoulders while she cried. She began to talk, not to me, but to her dad.

"Dad, I don't know if you are watching over me to hear this right now, but I hope that you are." She began, sniffling profusely. "I don't blame you for this. I know that times were hard when mom died. I guess you just thought I didn't care because I always kept my feelings inside. But I understand the pain. I felt it too. Drinking may not have been the best way to deal with the problem, but trust me, I've had my share of dumb ideas too." She chuckled before continuing. "I hate that our last years together had to be filled with pain and sadness, but just know that even through all that, I still loved you. I still love you today. And I always will. And most of all, I hope you have a better life up where you are now. You have mom back now. And one day, I'll meet both of you up there too. I love you mom and dad." She finished.

She stared into the grave for a few more moments, then broke into sobs again. I continued to hold her while she cried. I immediately felt a pang of hurt in my chest. Tears soon formed in my eyes as well. I don't know why or how, but it felt as if I was literally feeling her pain. Seeing her in such a terrible emotional place, was making me feel just as bad.

Ally had found her way to my side, leaning on me. Her sobs were silenced, but I could still see the pain in her eyes. After a few minutes if us kneeling silently at the grave, Ally spoke up.

"I'm ready to go now." She said, barely over a whisper.

I nodded and told her to wait at the truck for me while I finished up. She got up and walked over as I had told her. I turned back to the grave. I laid the gravestone in place and set the flowers close beside. I waited before leaving, but then stopped and kneeled back down.

"I know you probably don't know me that well Mr. Dawson, but I just wanted to let you know something." I started, speaking quietly. "Your daughter means the world to me. I know you might feel like there's no one left here to protect her, but trust me, I'll always be here for her. I'll always be by her side. I'll always watch over her. Her life will always come before mine and I promise you that. I understand that you've lived with lots of stress at times, but now is not the time to stress about anything anymore. Just relax, cause I've got her back." I finished.

I rose up and grabbed the shovels to head back to the truck. Ally was there, leaning on the door waiting for my return with a small smile on her face.

"What were you doing?" She asked me knowingly.

"Just paying my respects, that's all." I said with a grin.

She shook her head and turned to open the door. She stopped and turned back to me though.

"Hey, thanks for all of this. I know I may not have seemed _that_ happy, but this really meant a lot to me. So thanks." She said.

We both got in the truck and rode back home. I drove down to the fort first. She got out of the truck, but asked me a question before shutting the door.

"Do you think you might want to stay here tonight?" She asked me.

I smiled at her before answering, "Absolutely."

...

Little did I know, that night changed my life forever.

**ALLY'S POV**

So maybe my life wasn't perfect. It doesn't matter. Because life isn't supposed to be perfect. My life started like a fairy tale. Then it turned to a nightmare. But my guardian angel woke me up from that nightmare. That angel's name is Austin. Austin Moon.

Sometimes when things aren't going your way, and you're about to let go, to give up completely, you have to think of that one reason why you're still hanging on. Because that one little reason can change your life. Life is like a bow and arrow. When you feel things are just getting harder, and you just keep getting pulled farther backwards, just know, that you are just preparing to get shot forward to your goal.

The point is, I went through a lot of crap in my life. But by the way it ended up, I don't know if I'd go back to change it if I could. There might be a time when things get rough again, but as long as I'm going through it with my guardian angel, my shoulder to lean on, my everything, my _Austin Moon_, then I know I've got nothing to worry about.

...

**Oh no! It's over! I cried when I realized this because its my first real story and I'm glad you guys have been supporting it so much. I know that may not be the best ending, but I did the best I could with all the technical problems. And don't worry! I'm making an epilogue! I had is few loose ends I wanted to tie up so there will be that. Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your final review of the story :) maybe after the epilogue I'll let you guys know what other stories will be working on! :)**


	31. EPILOGUE

**Hey guys! Here's the epilogue to the story! To be honest, I didn't get as many reviews as I'd hoped for, I only got maybe six. But it's okay, cause as long as you read it I guess. But I would LOVE LOVE LOVE if you reviewed! Even if you hated it, just tell me. It's okay to hate it, I just want to know your thoughts. This will help me improve as a writer for further stories. :)**

It was early one cool, September morning in the woods. You could hear the sounds of birds in the trees, the rustling of leaves, and if you listened close enough, the sound of happy children playing. If you knew these kids, you'd know it's normal for them to be up early, roaming the woods. For they inherited wild imagination, and strong adventuring traits from their parents.

Austin and Ally sat up on the viewing deck of their house in the woods, watching their children play. One might think it's dangerous, letting their young kids roam acres of woods, but they know their two kids are nothing but safe here. Austin sat out on the deck every morning with his beautiful wife, wondering how life could have been this kind to him.

He remembered back to the day things began to get serious between him and Ally. It was that night after they had to bury her father. He had stayed with Ally that night, sleeping next to her in the bed. I think you know where things headed from there. That night had been amazing for both of them, but Austin had hell to pay when his mom found out about him staying over with her.

Once he turned eighteen, he moved in with Ally. They lived happily together for almost two years, and just before they turned twenty, Austin popped the big question. Ally accepted without a doubt, and the wedding was soon after. The night of their honeymoon was the night their first child was conceived. Austin's mom, still being the protective woman that she is, complained that they were still too young for this. Though she loved the child just the same. Almost a year later, they had already conceived a second child.

They were blessed with two little girls. Autumn and Ariana Moon. The oldest, Autumn, had bouncy brunette curls like her mother, yet she had the hazel eyes of her father. Ariana was just the opposite, with her silky blonde locks and deep brown eyes. You might think Austin would've wanted a boy to call his own, but he couldn't have been more happy with his girls. He saw Ally in the girls, and a part of himself, and it made him proud to know that those beautiful children were his.

The day Austin and Ally had found out about the miracle living inside Ally, was a memorable one. They were happy, scared, excited, and overwhelmed all at the same time. Ally had it easy, she didn't have to worry about her parents taking the news roughly, though it made her sad to think her parents weren't there to witness the birth of her first child.

Ally did have those times when she would have to take a moment and walk away from her kids. She would close the door to her room and cry for her parents. Sometimes it was hard for her to get through in all the big parts of life, without a mom or a dad to guide her. Luckily, Austin and his parents cared for her like family, which now, she is. Though she felt bad about having lost her parents, she promised to stay strong for her kids. She didn't want them to ever have to go through anything like she did.

In no time at all, Austin and Ally had watched their daughters grow from young children, to young adults. From the day they first started school, to the day they graduated college. Autumn and Ariana soon found boyfriends of their own, who each had to clear Austin's 'acceptable boyfriend' test. Soon, they were watching their grandchildren grow and play.

So this is how life went on in the Moon household. Every morning they drank their coffee on the viewing deck, watching the world, and enjoying each other's presence. Each night, they ended the day the same way, just without the coffee. Even in their seventies, Austin and Ally still acted like teenagers in love. Because to them, they still were. It was hard to accept the fact that life had flown by. But they knew even after they were long gone, they'd watch over their kids and grandkids while standing next to each of their own parents.

"Why am I even trying?" Both Austin and Ally had asked themselves at rough points in life. They both now had the same answer. _This_. _This_ is why. None of _this_ would've ever been possible if they had ever given up.

To this day, even if there isn't a Moon or a Dawson there, there's still a house deep in those woods. It will always stand. There's magic hidden in the boards, keeping it alive. It will hold out until another generation of kids will come to find their best friend, and true love.

**Haha so yeah, kind of a cheesy ending, but whatever. Thoughts? Hit that review button and leave me something. Goodbye one last time on this story, and I hope to see you again on my other stories! Bye! :D :D**


	32. Votes

**Hey guys! This isn't a continuation of the story, but I wanted to ask your opinion on my next story idea. I figured since you guys are the ones reading it, you should get a say in what you want to read. I have four different story starting plots. They may not seem that great right off the bat, but I have lots of in-depth ideas for all of them. Okay, and your options are:**

**...**

**1: Our Break From Reality**

GENRE: Romance/Friendship/Drama

RATING: T

SUMMARY: Everybody knows how the relationship between Ross & Laura works. Except Ross & Laura of course. When they each get a break from fame, how do they choose to spend it? Lets just say, what happens on vacation, stays on vacation. Raura story. Multi-chapter.

**Okay, so I know that one seems a little cliche, but you can give it a chance, I've got some good ideas for it. **

**...**

**2: On The Run**

GENRE: Adventure/Romance/Friendship

RATING: T

SUMMARY: Living the life of crime doesn't sound like Austin & Ally does it? No, and it's not. They're their usual music-loving selves, but somehow they got themselves into a pretty big mess. They must work together and trust each other more than ever to get out safely, but this might cause new feelings to arise. Will they get out together, or go down as a team?

**...**

**3: One Last Dance**

GENRE: Friendship/Romance

RATING: T

SUMMARY: Based on the R5 song, One Last Dance. Austin & Ally were best friends. More than friends. But one fight got in the way and they grew apart. Austin wants a final statement to clear things up between them. Will he win her back, or will their love be lost forever?

**This isn't a songfic, it's just based on the song. **

**...**

**4: Look At It My Way**

GENRE: Friendship/Romance

RATING: T

SUMMARY: Austin gets to go on an international tour. Ally gets the deal of a lifetime. Just as their relationship is about to take off, they have to decide what means more to them. Their relationship, or their career. **Based on season 2 finale heading into season 3. **

**Okay, so those are my four ideas. if you could just leave your vote in the review section or DM me, that'd be great! I can't wait to start writing the story that gets the most votes! :D :D**


End file.
